Staff Reporter
The Punjab Finance Department claimed to have unearthed a massive Rs250 million embezzlement in the Multan district accounts office in refund of revenue deposit.
According to the spokesperson for the finance department, the issue came in the notice of Finance Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo while inspecting records and payments made to the Punjab Highways Department, Multan.
It was found that the Rs250 million was withdrawn through bogus claimants of Land Acquisition Collector, Punjab Highways Department, Multan.
The embezzlement of the government revenue was started from the year 2018 and continued till date when the matter was detected by the inspecting staff of the finance department / Provincial Treasuries Inspectorate.
The fraud was made by land acquisition collector of the Punjab highways department Multan with connivance of officials of the district accounts office Multan.
The preliminary probe and the process is underway to register FIR against the land acquisition collector, Punjab Highways Department Multan and the staff of the district accounts office Multan.
Meanwhile, the main person involved in the fraud has been arrested by Anti-Corruption Establishment Multan while they were attempting to flee abroad.
The spokesperson stated that the fraud was detected due to the vigilant eye on the working and inspection by the Finance Department under the leadership of the finance secretary.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment expressed its strong resolve against corruption in the government department.
ACE DG Gohar Nafees said that effective measures have been introduced to check corruption. “In line with the government’s vision, the ACE is committed to show zero tolerance for corruption in any department.
” He declared that the department had fully focused on elimination of corruption from the state functionaries.
“We will go to any extent to control the menace of corruption and any officers, irrespective of his/her affiliation or social background will be brought to the justice.”
The PTI government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has time and again expressed the resolve to come down hard on corrupt elements.
The party has also made elimination of and across the board accountability as part of its manifesto.
