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WEEKLY
SECTIONS |
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| Departmental body formed to save big fish in Rs50m E&T corruption case |
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Monday, November 02, 2009
By Tahir Hasan Khan
Karachi
Excise and Taxation (E&T) authorities have appointed a departmental committee to investigate an alleged corruption case involving Rs50million. The committee, however, has been formed by violating the rules, which require that such a big embezzlement must be referred to the Anti-Corruption department, or the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Sources told The News that the purpose of holding a departmental into this “big scam” was to save the officials involved in causing such a huge loss to the national exchequer.
Provincial Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla had disclosed this financial scam before the media a few months ago, saying that the case would be referred to the Anti-Corruption department or the FIA since it was a big corruption case in the history of the department.
Sources said that the Excise and Taxation Department had allowed 11 National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) branches to collect property, motor vehicle and entertainment taxes. After this big scam came to light, the minister ordered the department to lodge criminal cases against the responsible officials. The authorities, however, neither lodged an FIR nor referred the case to the Anti-Corruption department or the FIA.
Sources said that after preliminary investigation, it was proved that Rs50million had been embezzled in five bank branches and the staff and officers of the Excise Department were involved in this crime.
They added, however, that the excise department authorities gave clearance to two NBP branches and constituted a departmental inquiry committee to probe the embezzlement in three other bank branches.
Official sources claimed that the elements involved in this scam disclosed before the preliminary inquiry team that competent authorities had also benefitted from this embezzlement.
Insiders claimed that after this disclosure, it was decided that the case will not be referred to the Anti-Corruption department or the FIA and the matter would be disposed off through a departmental inquiry.
Sources said that the amount of this embezzlement was very big and the involvement of the bank also requires the matter to be referred to the FIA. They added, however, that the minister concerned and other authorities were not in favour of referring the case to the Anti-Corruption department or the FIA.
Sources further said that the cause of the corruption lay in the rapid transfers and postings in the department. They claimed that authorities used to post officials for short periods and replaced them quickly on the instructions of their top bosses. This trend of rapid transfers and postings on a monthly basis has broken all records of the department and officials are of the view that the rate of corruption in the department was high when compared to previous regimes.
The Pakistan chapter of Transparency International has pointed out in its annual report-2009 that the ratio of corruption in the Excise and Taxation Department is high and a race for lucrative postings is going on among the officials as well as the authorities to mint money.
Officials claimed that some close relatives of the provincial minister were playing the role of a bridge between the officials, authorities and minister concerned for transfers and postings. The minister himself was not available when contacted for his comments on the matter.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
