Daily Times

KARACHI: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has registered 72 first information reports, opened 209 inquiries and arrested 52 officials of various departments for corruption, embezzlement and misappropriation of government funds within two months.

This was disclosed in a presentation ACE Chairman Mumtaz Shah gave to Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House on Sunday.

He told the chief minister that FIA and NAB have started sending him inquiries into land, revenue and local government matters such as illegal and double land allotments, bogus allotment files and such other forgeries and criminal acts. “So far I have received more than 40 inquiries and have formed a two- member committee to scrutinise them and conduct through inquires so that action could be taken accordingly.

The CM ordered the chairman that the matter being sent to him from FIA and NAB must be taken seriously and serious action should be taken. “It is a good omen that the federal agencies have started posing confidence into ACE,” he said.

Giving details of the FIRs, inquiries and arrests the chairman ACE said that from July 22, 2015 four raids were conducted in Karachi South and arrested three officials and registered four FIRs. In Karachi East six FIRs have been registered and five accused were held. In West two FIRs registered, 26 inquiries initiated and four persons arrested.

He said that in Hyderabad four surprised visits in different departments were paid, three raids conducted, one was trapped, 17 FIRs were registered and 17 officers were arrested. He added that in Jamshoro 7 raids, two traps were made and nine FIRs were registered and 46 inquiries opened and eight officials of different grades were arrested.

Similarly, four surprise visits and seven raids were made in Mirpurkhas. As a result, eight FIRs were lodged and four officers were apprehended. In Shaheed Benazirabad eight surprise visits and two raids were conducted. In Sukkur five surprise visits and six raids were conducted, 13 FIRs were registered and 24 inquiries initiated and 9 officers were arrested.

The chairman said that In Larkana five raids were conducted, four officers trapped, 13 FIRs were registered, 135 inquiries were opened and eight officers were arrested.

To a question, the chairman told the CM that most of inquires are against the local government, education, health, Works and Services, Irrigation and Revenue departments.