ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has completed inquiry against officials of the Estate Office (EO) for their alleged involvement in corruption, and submitted its report to National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

This was stated by Brig (Rtd) Zamarud Shaheen, the joint director, ministry of housing and works, while briefing Federal Minister Abbas Sarfaraz Khan on the affairs of the Estate Office here on Thursday.

He said the FIA had conducted investigation against about 100 EO officials on the directives of the Regional Accountability Bureau (RAB). He said NAB was now planning to file four references against the EO officials in various accountability courts.

Mr Shaheen informed the federal minister that four corrupt officials of the EO had been sent home after they were found involved in corruption. He said 19 officials were under suspension and facing inquiries before various committees.

According to an official announcement, the briefing was also attended by the heads of attached departments of the ministry.

Brig (Rtd) Zamurd said Pir Ashraf, the assistant estate officer, had been compulsorily retired, while Ayub Jan, Sani Mohammad and Sajid Naqvi had been removed from services on the charges of corruption and malpractice. He said most of the inquiries had been completed and remaining would be finalized soon. He also gave details of the corruption cases processed during the last two years.

The minister said the inquiries in corruption cases must be finalized as early as possible so that those who had violated rules and committed irregularities in the allotment and bogus hiring and caused loss of millions of rupees to the national kitty should be arrested.

He also asked the ministry to take action against those officials of estate offices and the ministry, who were creating hurdles for government employees in hiring, de-hiring and other related matters, misguiding them and using delaying tactics.

He directed that allotments should be made on merit and computerized lists be prepared. The minister also called for conducting a survey of government houses at the earliest.

The estate officer, Moosa Raza Affendi, told the participants that a list had been completed and being revised on day to day basis. He said the next updated list would be published by the end of the current month.

He said the computerization cell and the record room of the Estate Office had started working. He said the Rawalpindi Estate Office had been shifted to Islamabad. Mr Affendi said websites of the Estate Office and other attached departments had been designed and sent for approval of the ministry. He claimed allotments were being made on merit without any discrimination. He also briefed the minister on his visits to all the estate offices in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta.

The managing director of the Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA), Brig (Rtd) Dilbar Naqvi, the managing director, National Construction, Sabir Chohan, and the joint engineering adviser, Shahid Hameed, also gave briefings on policy and progress of the PHA flats, projects of the National Construction, re-development of Sector G-6 and disposal of state land and National Housing Policy.