ISLAMABAD – As many as eighteen tainted officers of Grade 16 and above are working at Model Customs Collectorate Office in Karachi, the Senate was told on Tuesday. The startling revelation was made by Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh in his written reply to the Senate.
Responding to a question raised by Senator Talha Mehmood in which he asked the finance minister to share the details with the House regarding corruption cases surfaced during the last five years, Sheikh said 18 officers of BPS-16 to BPS-19 of the said office were facing disciplinary proceedings due to their alleged involvement in corruption cases.
Inquires were “still underway” against five officers involved in Bawan Shah Group of companies scandal regarding fake refunds for the last two years. The officials are Imran Sajjad Bukhari, Javed Sarwar Sheikh, Syed Tanveer Ahmed, Aamir Nawaz Hamid and Shalra Khan.
The minister further said that other officials included Deputy Collectors of BPS-18 Habib Ahmad Jawad Zafar Malik, Muhammad Saqif Saeed and Nawabzadi Aliya Dilawar. The other officials are principal appraisers of BPS-16 Maimutullah Alvi, Shahid Rizvi, Qamaruddin Semajo, Irshad Khan, Hamid Umar and Mehtab Ahmed.
Leader of the Opposition Wasim Sajjad called for a separate session to discuss corruption in government organisations, particularly in the FBR. Upon this, State Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said there was no need to call a separate session.
Haji Adeel said by conducting inquiry into corruption, the government could not eliminate corruption. “Stern action is needed to eliminate corruption from government institutions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sheikh said in December 2008, huge quantity of tyres were detained in two private godowns of M/s Junaid Brothers and M/s Syed Brothers in Karachi by Directorate of I&I-FBR, Karachi, on suspicion that these goods were imported in Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) and were off loaded in these godowns by misusing the facility.
He said the probe unearthed deliberate inaction for establishing the smuggling of tyres under the garb of ATT, adding that disciplinary proceedings against the officials involved were initiated under government servant rules 1973.
