KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday notified the removal from posting of around 300 officers, including some senior bureaucrats, who had been reinstated despite entering into plea bargains with the National Accountability Bureau.

The action was taken in compliance with a directive of the Sindh High Court, which on Thursday had given three days to the provincial government to remove 500 officers named by NAB to have been reinstated on their posts after entering into plea bargains with it.

Officials said remaining 200 officials were also being removed from lucrative posts as directed by the court. The issue was brought to light when a NAB prosecutor informed a division bench of the SHC that the anti-graft watchdog had recovered Rs16 billion from 500 corrupt officers of the province.

Court adjourns hearing till 24th

The chief justice had remarked that plea bargain or voluntary return of embezzled money was itself a confession by the accused person that he was guilty of the offence.

Soon after the court’s order the Sindh services, general administration and coordination department despatched general instructions to a dozen provincial departments stating that during the hearing of a constitutional petition the SHC had passed verbal orders in which it had directed for the removal of those officials who had entered into voluntary return under Section 25(a) of the NAB Ordinance, 1999.

The government asked the secretaries of the forest and wildlife, works and services, school education, finance, health, agriculture, supply and prices, social welfare, public health engineering and rural development, food, local government and housing, town planning and irrigation departments and the inspector general of police, Sindh, to comply with the courts order “without fail” and ensure that all the officials from BS-1 to BS-18 were directed to report to their respective departments.

Officials said so far a total of 297 officers and officials had been removed from their posts chiefly in school education and local government departments.

“The other departments and ministries are doing the same,” said a senior official in the Sindh government.

Sources said these officials included officers in district administrations, deputy secretaries, executive engineers, and superintending engineers, etc.

Besides, municipal commissioner of the District Municipal Corporation-Central and several senior LG officials are included in the lists.

Most of these employees belonged to the school education department, which in compliance with the court’s orders had removed 263 officials, including education officers, headmasters and teachers from their posts.

Officials in the school education department said those teachers had received hefty sums by getting fake increments in cahoots with the treasury officials. However, the fraud was unearthed during an inquiry and they had voluntarily returned the illegally gained money to NAB.

A senior education official said they had removed all those officials and teachers from their posts and sent a compliance report to the authorities concerned.

AG told to ensure compliance

Tahir Siddiqi adds: The SHC directed Sindh Advocate General Barrister Zamir Ghumro to place on record the copy of the restraining order of the Supreme Court regarding removal from service of those officials who entered into voluntary return.

During the hearing of the case of Thatta’s District Accounts Officer Ghulam Mustafa Loond, who had voluntarily returned the embezzled amount, the provincial chief law officer had pointed out that a restraining order was passed by the apex court regarding the removal of officers who were involved in the return of embezzled amount less than Rs2.5m after entering into voluntary return.

AG Ghumro also submitted that another restraining order of the SC as to the departmental proceedings against the officers who entered in VR was also in the field.

While adjourning the matter to Oct 24, the SHC bench headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh also directed the AG to ensure compliance with the court orders. The chief secretary was also directed to be present during the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017