GUJRANWALA: Three senior officers of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), who were suspended from service on charges of holding a defective inquiry into a corruption case, were restored by the Lahore High Court on Monday.

Reports said ACE assistant directors Eitazaz Munir Gondal, Tariq Aziz and Sajjad Husain had found in an inquiry guilty city district government’s taxation officer Umair Dildar for embezzling Rs175 million in recovery of taxes from billboards owners. But DCO Azmat Mehmood challenged it and informed the Punjab chief minister that the inquiry conducted by the ACE officers was defective.

The chief minister’s secretary ordered a fresh inquiry which was completed by some senior officers of the provincial government. The secretary had suspended all the three ACE assistant directors from service.

The suspended officials had moved the Lahore High Court which restored the three senior officers on Monday and issued a notice to chief minister’s secretary to appear before court on Sept 23.

RESENTMENT: The Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on Monday expressed resentment over the levy of tax on luxury vehicles by the Excise and Taxation Department and demanded the withdrawal of the notice.

Speaking at a meeting, GCCI President Nouman Salahuddin and other office bearers said that excise and taxation authorities had promised that they would not impose any tax on luxury vehicles. They said the business community was already paying sophisticated taxes, but the government was imposing various kinds of new taxes.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2014