FIA arrests four CDA officers on corruption charges in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on the second day of 2018 has arrested one former and three incumbent land directorate officers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on the charges of ‘illegal double allotment,’ which inflicted a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer.

The case was registered under sections 109, 409, 420, 468, 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) against six CDA land officers including nine affectees because they ‘managed by greasing the palms of CDA venal officers’, got ‘dual’ benefits in violation of CDA’s policies and caused a loss of millions of rupees to the national kitty.

During the investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) of FIA on an inquiry, it transpired that Ex-Land and Estate (L&E) Deputy Director General (DDG) Abdul Salam Shah, Land and Rehabilitation (L&R) Deputy Director Asad Ali, L&R Assistant Director Asghar Ali, L&R Admin Officer Raja Shoaib Mallal, CDA Assistant Mubashar Hussain Shah, and L&R Dealing Assistant Khizar Hayyat have illegally allotted nine plots measuring 30×70 ft in sector I-11/2 to different affectees of Moza Sang Jani in 2016. The plots were already compensated in 1997.

The four officers who were arrested on Tuesday include Abdul Salam Shah, Asghar Ali, Raja Shoaib Mallal, and Mubashir Shah. However, the other officers are still at large.

“The affectees were allotted nine plots which include plot no. 1573, 1574, 1579, 1580, 1581, 1586, 1588, 1589, and 1590 in I-11/2. However, they were already allotted plot no. 1473-C, 1474-C, 1475, 1476 and 1477 of size 30×60 in sector I-11/2 in the year 1997,” reads the FIR, available with Pakistan Today.

It is also stated that these affectees were entitled to only five plots as compensation to their land according to the affectee award list of 1990/91, which they have already taken.

It is noted that the aforementioned officers have a chequered history as there are a couple of departmental enquiries which were initiated by the competent authority on corruption charges, malpractices, and double allotments and are still awaiting the conclusion.

The FIA ACC wing  Station House Officer Rana Akram is investigating the matter. “We will produce them before the court today and seek their remand,” he said.

It may be mentioned here that the aforementioned officers are accused of massive corruption in many cases.

BRIEF HISTORY OF BAN ON ALLOTMENTS:

Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) State Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary has prevented CDA Deputy Director General (Land) Abdul Salam Shah from the further allotment of land on May 12, 2016, after he received many complaints from the citizens of Islamabad regarding massive corruption in the land department of CDA.

Later, when the  Islamabad Mayor took charge of the post of CDA chairman last year, he first paid a surprise visit to the land directorate, suspended an official on charges of taking a bribe and sealed the entire record on September 19, last year.

Later on, after introducing a new Standard Operation Procedure (SOP), he had re-opened land allotments for almost three months and then again put a ban on it.

Earlier, a committee was also constituted to stop the corruption in the land department so that no allotment could be made without the approval of said committee by then CDA Chairman Maroof Afzal but to no avail. Abdul Salam Shah by keeping the committee aside, continued the process of allotment in back dates even after he was removed from his seat.

Moreover, former Interior Federal Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan had also ordered NAB and FIA to look into the matter of land allotment in CDA during a press conference.

HOW LAND MAFIA DO CORRUPTION:

CDA’s Land Directorates has made many headlines over the last three years for corruption allegations.

Many reports have emerged that the officials of the land directorate working for a hand in glove with the property dealers.

CDA officials purposely delay the cases of land compensation of those affectees who were to be allotted an alternative plot so that they would sell their plot files to the property dealers.

And then, the CDA officials in connivance with the property dealers who purchased those files somehow ‘managed’ alternative allotments of choice plots in CDA sectors which would be sold for millions later.

CURRENT POLICY FOR LAND ALLOTMENT TO AFFECTEES:

Islamabad Mayor had approved new SOP for land allotment on July 27 last year. According to which, the affectees / legal heirs of deceased affectees/attorney will personally submit the application addressed to Director Land and Rehabilitation for allotment of plot.

Every affectee of whom a 10 Kanal land was acquired by CDA would be compensated by 30×70 plot and affectee whose 4 Kanal land was acquired by the authority would be compensated by 25×50 plots.

After the approval of a case from the Estate member, the Land and Rehabilitation director will forward it to the Land and Rehabilitation additional director for inclusion in a list of applicants. Successful applicants will be chosen through open balloting and two members of the CDA Board will be present at the event.

The record of vacant plots would be maintained by the Land and Rehabilitation Survey director. After balloting, the dealing assistant will prepare allotment letters and submit them to the deputy director through AOR for signature. After the allotment letter was signed/embossed and dispatched, the case file would be forwarded to the Estate Affectees Section for entry into the official record and further processing according to the policy.