After being put under suspension by the Ministry of Interior, FIA has recommended that services of Additional Director Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sajjad Mustafa Bajwa should be terminated on charges of compromising the on-going inquiry on the sugar crisis.
A nine pages departmental inquiry report alleged that Sajjad performance was poor and unsatisfactory during inquiry against sugar mills owners. The report further blamed that the officer exchanged sensitive information with sugar mills owners and remained in unauthorized contact with them. The report also alleged that Mr. Bajwa provided illegal access to the owners to sensitive record of the commission.
According to official sources in FIA, the officer while posted as additional director cybercrime in FIA’s Lahore Zone was assisting the Inquiry Commission on sugar crisis and has been suspended on allegations of leaking information to some sugar mills owners.
The commission headed by Director General FIA Wajid Zia was holding a forensic audit of some sugar mills to probe the skyrocketing prices of sugar in the country last year.
Mr Bajwa is also facing charges of creating hurdles in the inquiry by using delaying tactics, an official of FIA said. Mr. Bajwa was of the view that what was the evidence against him on the basis of which he was suspended, charge sheet was issued and finally show cause notice was also issued?
Is there any audio, video, or any documentary evidence or documentary / digital evidence regarding any kind of illegal links of Bajwa with Sugar Mill management which is related to the transfer of information?
Are there any so-called diagnostic reports of the 9 teams constituted by the Sugar Inquiry Commission, on the basis of which the Commission of Inquiry came to know that only Bajwa was the lowest performer among the 9 teams?
It was alleged that Bajwa, along with eight other teams, was called to the FIA headquarters in Islamabad on April 11 and 18 and his performance was checked, which was found to be lower than that of the other teams.
Did Bajwa really come to FIA headquarters on April 11 and 18? If Bajwa Sahib says that he was in Lahore on these dates, then are there no CCTV cameras in the FIA headquarters Islamabad? If he was indeed present in Islamabad, the inquiry could have presented his footage, attendance register, meeting point, etc., which are proofs of Bajwa’s arrival at the FIA headquarters in Islamabad. It is alleged that he was called to the FIA headquarters and his performance was reviewed along with 8 other teams.
If there is no evidence of the above even after departmental inquiry then why Sajjad Bajwa is being punished? The government could not even find out what information Bajwa had shared with those who received it, but alleged that some information would have been shared, that’s ridiculous.
Bajwa claimed, “I had already professional differences with his additional DG who was deputed my inquiry officer”. He said that he had written letters to DG to complain that attitude of Additional DG toward him was not normal. Additional DG was already in search of chance to teach a lesson to Mr. Bajwa and he was given a chance in shape of inquiry to exhaust his anger over Bajwa.
An FIA officer, seeking anonymity, said Mr Bajwa enjoys good reputation among the FIA circles and widely known as an upright and honest officer. He further added that several inquiries of different nature were pending against agency’s own officers since 2010 and he was unable to understand that why the complaint against Bajwa was processed so quickly?
