KARACHI: The National Accountability Bureau on Thursday decided to initiate a probe into five alleged corruption cases pertaining to the tractor subsidy scheme of the Sindh government, fake housing scheme in the city, unauthorised possession of federal government properties, illegal allotment of over 100 acres to an influential family in Dadu and illegal refund against Federal Board of Revenue officials, said a NAB spokesperson.

The decision was taken at a regional board meeting of NAB held here under the chairmanship of director general of NAB Karachi Mohammad Altaf Bawany. It was attended by directors of the investigation wing and respective investigating teams of the cases concerned. Various cases were deliberated upon at the meeting.

The board authorised investigation against officers of the Sindh agriculture department on the basis of allegations prima facie substantiated during the course of an inquiry into embezzlement of the tractor subsidy scheme. The scheme covered around Rs1 billion for 11,000 tractors provided to the growers in whole of Sindh in 2013 and onwards for the promotion of agricultural activity and better yield.

Inquiry to be launched against commissioner and additional commissioner of inland revenue wing

An inquiry was also authorised against the management of the Sindhi Jamaat Cooperative Housing Society on the allegations of cheating the public at large by way of bogus allotments with no landholding and by issuing fabricated and duplicate files. The offence was prima facie committed in 2013 in Deh Khanto, Karachi.

Probe against federal government’s estate officials

The NAB board also authorised an inquiry against officers and officials of the federal government’s estate office in Karachi on the allegations of allotment of government accommodations to unauthorised persons, unauthorised illegal occupation by retired officials and subletting.

Also, during the preliminary processing of complaints it was unearthed that there were a number of federal government properties that had been under possession of unauthorised persons running on a commercial basis without depositing any rent to the government.

The accountability body also decided to initiate an inquiry against officers and officials of the revenue department, government of Sindh, on the allegations of illegal allotment of 173 acres in various dehs of Dadu district to an “influential family” without following the rules and procedure. It prima facie caused a loss of Rs103 million to the national exchequer.

The NAB official, however, did not identify the influential family.

Inquiry against commissioner of inland revenue wing

It was also decided that a an inquiry be launched against the commissioner and additional commissioner of the inland revenue wing, zone-III, on the allegations of illegal refunds approved and issued to several companies on the basis of bogus documents, causing a loss of Rs190m to the exchequer.

The NAB DG issued directions to the investigating officers to conclude the cases expeditiously in strict adherence to the NAB law, SOP and the Constitution.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2018