HYDERABAD: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) department has lodged a case of Rs738.593 million embezzlement against Sindh University (SU) Vice Chancellor Fatah Mohammad Burfat, the varsity registrar and 66 others.

An inquiry against them was concluded in November 2018 and registration of the case was recommended by ACE deputy director Zamir Abbasi. One of the nominated SU officials, a university teacher, has been arrested.

The previous month, the Sindh law department in a summary sent to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had recommended removal of VC Burfat.

A few days ago, Mr Burfat confirmed to Dawn that a summary had indeed been moved for his removal, but he was not given an opportunity of hearing by the inquiry committee, headed by Ms Naheed Durrani.

He said Ms Durrani had been transferred to the federal government since then.

The VC could not be approached for his viewpoint on the registration of FIR as his cell phone remained switched off.

Sindh ACE director Sohail Qureshi told Dawn on Tuesday that raids were conducted for the arrest of other accused named in the FIR, but none was nabbed. The only arrested person was identified as Asghar Hakro, a teacher of the geology department. He was then director of student affairs.

The ACE lodged the case vide FIR No. 6/20 under sections 409, 420, 468, 471, 34 PPC on the complaint of Kotri ACE circle officer Sajid Bhutto.

The accused included former SU Thatta campus focal person Sarfaraz Solangi (the then convenor of the tender committee in 2017-18), sitting registrar Prof Ameer Abro, former registrar Prof Dr Mohammad Saleem Chandio, former dean faculty of natural sciences (convenor of the procurement committee for hiring private buses) Prof Dr Akhtar Hussain Mughal, former secretary to VC and ex-director maintenance Prof Hafeez Abro and law department faculty member Sardar Shah.

Sajid Qayoom Memon, ex-registrar and adviser planning and development; Muneeruddin Soomro, convenor petroleum services; Rafique Ahmed Brohi, director campus security; Mashooq Siddiqui, ex-purchase officer and ex-director finance; Syed Sajjad Hussain Shah, in-charge transport; Dr Asghar Ali Hakro; Faisal Zaman Mughal, purchase officer, and Riaz Hussain Qazi, member of the procurement committee for hiring buses, were also booked.

The ACE said the accused were involved in appointments in violation of the rules and regulations, embezzlement of funds through fake billings, violation of the Sindh Public Procurement and Regulatory Authority (SPPRA) rules, bid rigging and mis-procurement, illegal advance payments, illegal land manipulation in possession of land grabbers worth Rs700m approximately, under- and over-invoicing of CNG and fuel supplies.

The inquiry was ordered by the Sindh CM in 2018 after some SU teachers and civil society members met him to seek a probe into the varsity’s state of affairs.

ACE officer Abbasi had earlier claimed that his inquiry covered only financial year 2017-18. The probe revealed that embezzled amount was assessed at Rs738.593m which was bifurcated into 14 heads like loss of funds through hiring of private buses (Rs45m); misuse of funds for purchasing Toyota Fortuner (Rs6m); 10 foreign visits (Rs5m); salary expenditures on illegal appointments (Rs32m); illegal expenditure in award of contract to a private life insurance company (Rs11m); payment of illegal amount to Sardar Shah from faculty development funds and others.

In the wake of the inquiry, the VC moved Sindh High Court (SHC) Hyderabad circuit bench which on Dec 11, 2018, restrained the ACE authorities from taking any coercive action against him or any teacher of the SU facing ACE probe.

The CM in 2019 suspended the VC and ordered an inquiry against him through May 30 and 31 notifications which were challenged by the VC. The SHC suspended operations of both notifications on June 10, 2019.

His counsel had contended that notifications were issued in a blatant violation of mandatory provisions of Section 13(3) of act as VC of a university could be removed by a competent authority/Sindh chief minister only on the basis of substantiated findings of an inquiry committee and that too after giving him an opportunity of show-cause against such removal.

Four petitions were filed with the SHC Hyderabad circuit bench on the issue of affairs of the SU, alleged financial irregularities by the VC, mismanagement and others. Two of them were filed by the VC himself and one each by Dr Arfana Mallah, a representative of Sindh University Teachers Association (SUTA), and Prof Dr Muneeruddin.

On March 10, 2020, a division bench of SHC Hyderabad circuit dismissed all four petitions, involving incumbency of VC Burfat, observing: “The VC didn’t approach the court with clean hands”.

The bench’s 20-page judgement, authored by Justice Gaddi, ruled that the Sindh CM has jurisdiction to form an inquiry committee against the VC, which was later challenged.

It said that in its original jurisdiction, the SHC could not decide cases which involved recording of evidence. “The petitioner is avoiding to face inquiry,” the court had observed.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2020