KARACHI: The provincial Anti-Corruption Establishment on Monday nominated nine suspects in a case of alleged misappropriation in the development funds of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

The anti-graft watchdog has booked serving LG Secretary Roshan Ali Shaikh, as well as KDA DG Badar Jamil Mandhro, KMC executive director Zaheer Abbas, assistant executive engineer Syed Mohammad Raza, KDA sub-engineer Talat Bhatti — all former officials — and the KMC’s accounts officer Hussain Ali Jafferi along with three private contractors for allegedly misappropriating development funds of the KMC.

On Monday, the investigating officer (IO) filed an interim investigation report showing the then provincial additional secretary Zahid Hussain Khemito and then section officer Athar Nawaz Durrani as absconders in the present case and listed nine officials as prosecution witnesses.

In the investigation report, the IO mentioned that an inquiry was initiated on a complaint of the contractor M/s Khyber Builders against recalling/republishing of the tenders by the KDA’s engineering department for construction work on the internal road and CC flooring in Hijrat Colony Union Council No 29.

During the course of inquiry, it transpired that Raza, Talat Bhatti, Ali Jafferi and the accounts officer were the main culprits in the offence in connivance with the private contractors and others, it was mentioned.

It also surfaced that neither Zaheer Abbas nor Hussain Ali Jafferi were employees of the KDA, adding that the tenders uploaded on the official website were also fake and forged.

The interim investigation report said that work had been started illegally and without approval from the competent authority as neither tenders were awarded to any company nor requisite formalities were fulfilled in the process of awarding tender. The report added that the agreement dated Nov 7, 2019 having signatures of KDA DG Badar Jamil Mandhro and contractors and letter of acceptance dated Nov 11, 2019 were totally against the law and rules while nine other works were awarded on forged and bogus documents.

The interim report mentioned that LG Secretary Shaikh issued letters through the section officer to appoint an XEN in the KDA work worth Rs800 million in a questionable way for personal gains, the report said, adding that the series of illegalities committed by such elements were done under ulterior motive, which was a huge bribe and kickbacks.

IO Aijaz Ali Kaimkhani concluded that the investigation of the present case was still incomplete and final investigation report would be submitted to the competent authority for final order after recording statements of the witnesses and obtaining record from the departments concerned.

A case was lodged under sections 161 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 at the ACE police station.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2020