KARACHI, Sept 29: Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad on Monday ordered suspension of the finance director, University of Karachi, Younus Ahmed Khan, on the charges of incompetence, embezzlement and misappropriation. He has also directed the varsity to advertise the vacancy for hiring a competent person for the post.

The governor, who is also Chancellor of the university, asked the varsity administration for the issuance of a chargesheet and lodging of FIR against the director. He further directed it to initiate a detailed inquiry against former Dean of Science Dr Altaf Ali Khan.

According to a notification issued by the office of Sindh Governor, Younus Ahmed Khan has been placed under suspension with immediate effect in pursuance of the findings and recommendations of the inquiry committee constituted by the KU Syndicate on the directives of Sindh governor.

Younus Ahmed Khan had earlier been transferred from his post after facing charges of similar nature. However, the Sindh Services Tribunal had reinstated him while allowing him right to appeal.

A senior government official and member of the governor’s inquiry committee told PPI that the issue surfaced during a dispute between the finance director and the acting vice-chancellor/former Dean of Science over the awarding of a contract for the construction of three department buildings. The contract amount was Rs600 million.

“A consultant firm was hired by the finance director on five per cent of the total cost of the contract without approval from the KU Syndicate or the vice-chancellor, although the same firm was providing its services on two per cent of the total cost of construction to the KU,” the official disclosed, adding that by doing this, the director intended to embezzle over Rs5 million.

A dispute between the director and the dean, the latter being acting VC at that time, on the awarding of the contract and negotiations with the consultant firms, brought the issue to the notice of Finance and Planning Committee of the university which approached the governor requesting him to order an investigation into the affair, according to the official.

The governor’s inquiry committee has declared the director incompetent and found that he had caused financial loss to varsity by keeping its money in current accounts and not keeping the record of KU’s cash-books, he said.

“He (KU Director Finance) did not even have knowledge of the number of KU accounts in local banks, their nature and the balance amount,” he added.

According to him, governor’s nominee to the KU Syndicate Yaqoob Zaidi, Financial Adviser to the Governor on KU affairs Ashraf Mehmood, and Standing Counsel of the university Mehmood Alam Rizvi are members of the inquiry committee. He said that further action would be taken against the accused after a detailed report of the committee’s findings and recommendations was submitted.—PPI