KARACHI: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has lodged 72 FIRs, begun inquiries into 209 cases and arrested 52 officers of different departments within two months on charges of corruption, embezzlement and misappropriation of government funds.

Besides, the ACE has also received over 40 cases of forgeries, criminal acts and illegal and bogus allotments pertaining to land, revenue and local government departments.

This was disclosed by ACE Chairman Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah while making a presentation to Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah at the CM House on Sunday.

The chief minister directed the chairman to take seriously the inquiries being sent to the ACE by the federal agencies of FIA and NAB.

The ACE chairman said that a two-member committee had been formed to scrutinise FIA and NAB inquiries. “Most of the inquiries are against local government, education, health, works and services, irrigation and revenue departments,” he said.

He said that last seven to eight years performance of irrigation department with regard to allocation of funds and expenditures, terrorism-financing through land-grabbing and China-cutting, KW&SB affairs and illegal business of water hydrants were also being probed.

Similarly, he said, inquiry into the affairs of education department including illegal appointments, ghost employees and misappropriation of funds and affairs of the Sindh Textbook Board were also under investigation.

He said that during last two months the ACE had decided 328 cases of five districts which was itself a record. Besides, a process had been initiated to computerise the record of the establishment, he said.

The chief minister appreciated the ACE chairman ‘for his hard work’ and directed him to step up efforts to eradicate corruption from all government departments.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2015

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