KARACHI: The Sindh government on Monday decided to finalise investigation into corruption at the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK), as the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) had assured the high-ups that the the process would be completed within the next few weeks, which could lead to the registration of more FIRs against some senior serving and former officials of the board, said a statement and an official source.

Such decision and others were made at a meeting of the Sindh enquiries and anti-corruption establishment which was chaired by the adviser to chief minister on law, enquiries and anti-corruption Barrister Murtaza Wahab Siddique. Senior officers of the establishment attended the meeting, who were briefed about the recent raids and enquiries conducted in the province.

“The meeting was also informed about the enquiries being carried out on irregularities in Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK), illegal supply of Iranian oil and irregularities in supply of medicines in government hospitals,” said a statement issued after the meeting. “The adviser, Barrister Siddique, said that all pending enquiries including BIEK, illegal supply of Iranian oil and irregularities in supply of medicine in public hospitals should be completed within 30 days and further delay in this regard will not be accepted.”

Enquiries and anti-corruption establishment chairman Ghulam Qadir Thebo said that the confidence of masses in the ACE had been restored with their activities which would continue with more zeal and enthusiasm, added the statement.

Meanwhile, an official privy to the meeting said different options were discussed at length to conclude the pending investigations and the senior officials assured the meeting that they would soon be wrapping up probe into BIEK case that was pending since August 2016. It was expected that with fresh directives, he said, the team would be at its job with new zeal.

“Once the investigations into such allegations are over, we hope to send recommendations to the authorities concerned for more FIRs and then arrests,” he added.

“The process may see names of more BIEK officials — both serving and former — emerging in the cases and their arrest will definitely be made in line with the defined laws. So far there is only one case registered for the alleged corruption in the board.”

The BIEK authorities and the enquiries and anti-corruption establishment had been at odds since August when the provincial watchdog had raided the board building and seized record to probe into alleged corruption in examination. After their three-day stay at the board building, the BIEK high-ups declared that the situation had rendered it impossible for the board to announce results in accordance with admission deadlines of higher education institutes, and the office was also at risk of losing 20-year data.

The Enquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment ruled out the allegations, saying its team had only checked the data of medical students at the BIEK’s record room. The ACE blamed the BIEK authorities for denying them access to their record that made it even more suspicious. The recent move by the watchdog could spark further conflict between the two sides.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2016