KARACHI: The Sindh anti-corruption establishment (ACE) on Wednesday carried out three raids at different government offices, including the motor vehicles registration wing of the excise and taxation department, the office of the deputy director of the livestock and animal husbandry and the office of the property registrar of the board of revenue and after recording statements of officials present at the time of the raids seized the records for further investigation.

A case was also registered against town municipal officer of Miro Khan and others for misappropriation of over Rs50 million.

In response to a question, director of the ACE Nazar Bozdar told Dawn that after receiving complaints from the public about corruption in the departments, the ACE staff was posted for observation, followed by raids and seizure of the records.

He said that at the motor vehicles registration wing of the excise and taxation department, where second-hand and new vehicles were registered, the agents used to charge money over and above the required fee in bribe for relaxation of rules.

He said that as per rules the vehicles were required to be brought for inspection, but today (on Wednesday) only 10 new vehicles were brought there while 100 vehicles were shown in the record for registration.

Similarly on certain vehicles tax amnesty was given, which was reportedly allowed only after greasing the palms of officials, he added.

He said on Wednesday the ACE staff observed charged parking at 12 places and picked up some people from two spots and after recording their statements allowed them to go, however, it would be verified whether the contract was given by the KMC to collect the charged parking fee from the spots from where they were found collecting the fee.

The ACE east zone Inspector, Mohammed Ali Shah, raided the offices of the excise and taxation.

Sub-Inspector Kamran Memon of the ACE west zone conducted a raid on the sub-registrar office of the board of revenue in North Nazimabad and secured the record.

The ACE officers also conducted a raid on the office of the deputy director of the livestock and animal husbandry department in Karachi on complaints of violation of the Sindh Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (SPPRA) rules in purchase of veterinary medicines worth Rs44 million in the year 2014-15.

Besides the ACE staff along with a magistrate seized the record of three projects — one dispensary and two maternity homes — from the office of the works and services department of the buildings division, Karachi, in which below standard material was used, where the contractor had been paid full payment even before the work’s completion.

Earlier, according to an ACE report, a case was also registered at the ACE police station in Qambar Shahdadkot against TMO of Miro Khan Iqbal Imtiaz Phulpoto and others for misappropriation of over Rs50 million from government funds during 2012.

Published in Dawn October 1st, 2015

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