October 31, 2008	Friday	Ziqa'ad 1, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 30: As corruption cases, as old as 30-year, are still pending with the Anti-Corruption Establishment which could not be proceeded either due to authorities’ influence or due to some political exigency, the present government has formed a committee to process all such cases it inherited from the past to clear the backlog of cases.

This was stated by Gul Mohammad Lot, the adviser to the Sindh chief minister on Inquiries and Anticorruption, in an informal discussion with journalists here on Thursday.

He dispelled the impression that cases were being withdrawn under political pressure saying that during former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s tenure many political opponents were implicated in cases for harassment, however, even such cases were not being withdrawn without proper investigation and following the due legal process.

Though he didn’t contested the contention that there were some unscrupulous elements in the Anti-Corruption Establishment, he said he had asked all government institutions that if they have any evidence of corruption against the staff it should be brought into his knowledge so that action could be taken against corrupt officials.

When his attention was drawn towards a fact that the establishment only takes action against low-grade government functionaries, while officials of grade 15 and above go scot-free, the adviser said it was a procedural flaw which lets higher officials to get off the hook, and it was not done wilfully by the establishment.

He said according to the rules, the establishment AC-II and the AC-I committees could process cases against government officials of up to grade 17, but from grade 17 and above, a permission was required from the chief secretary for institution of cases. And during the investigation process officials usually get pre-arrest bails and use their influence to escape from the law.

He said since the installation of the People’s Party government some 30 major cases had been lodged and were under investigation and most of them were about the revenue department in which costly land was given at throwaway prices to private entities.

“All such cases are under investigation and action would be taken against those found involved.”

He denied of being under any political pressure to stop ongoing inquiries against some government functionaries close to the present political set-up, saying that the day the felt he could not deliver, he would leave the office and would go home.