MULTAN: A team of the Anti-Corruption Establishment on Saturday conducted a raid on the local cattle market, recovering used entry slips from the staff of the Cattle Management Company Multan (CMCM), showing a lower number of animals brought there to embezzle the fee amount.

ACE Director Haidar Abbas Watto told Dawn that the raid was conducted on the complaint of a citizen, Muhammad Hasnain, who informed his staff that entry fee slips were being reused to cause loss to the provincial exchequer.

He said that allegation was found to be correct when the ACE team conducted the raid and recovered the used entry slips from the CMCM staff.

“An inquiry into the matter has been initiated, launching investigations,” he said.

Interestingly, on May 2, Punjab Cattle Market Management and Development Company Chief Executive Officer Ms Kausar Khan had also conducted a raid on the market and suspended five officials of the company, including its Managing Director Dr Hammad, Chief Financial Officer Rana Shahzad, General Manager Operations Khizar Hayat and Manager Operations Zain Khan.

The sources said although over a month had passed since the CEO’s raid, neither any departmental inquiry into the issue was initiated, nor was the matter referred to the ACE.

They said the entry fee for each animal brought into the market was Rs500 and four pickets had been set up on the both sides of the road, two each for the animal’s entry and exit. At the exit pickets the used slips were collected from those leaving the market and the same were handed over to the CMCM staff bungle the fee, they added .The sources said every week not less than 50,000 animals were brought to the market but the entry fee amount deposited with the government was shown far less than the actual figures and the remaining sum was embezzeled.

They said that three high rank officers of provincial government were major beneficiaries of the scam as they connived to hand over the additional charge of the market to the (now former) chief corporation officer (CCO) of the Metropolitan Corporation Multan (MCM), Muhammad Sahfiq, who was directed to stay away from the entire process of the fee collection done through some private persons. However, they said, the CCO resisted arrangement and was ultimately transferred from the post on June 2.

Mr Shafiq, however, termed his transfer a routine matter, saying he was facing “difficulties” in performing his duties attached to the post .

“Only the staff of CMCM is involved in the collection process, while the private contractor is only dealing with the parking stand,” he claimed.

CEO Ms Kausar Khan said she had also conducted such raid in the Faisalabad cattle market, where a similar scam was unearthed.

She said despite their suspension from the service, the five CMCM officials were still using their influence in the company. “I have suspended these officals, but I am still being approached and pressurised by some quarters to favour them,” she alleged.

She claimed that after her raid, the fee collection at the market had increased from Rs3 million to Rs4.5 million the next week.

She said the matter would be placed in the HR committee of the company’s board which would decide whether the ACE should be involved.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2021