NAB raids education dept offices to seize records

Karachi

The National Accountability Bureau conducted a raid at the offices of the provincial education department inside the premises of the Sindh Secretariat on Friday.

NAB assistant director Asif Jahangir and his team conducted the raid to seize the “original records” of around 1,300 appointments made in 2012.

The Sindh accountant general and some departments have expressed their reservations over these appointments, saying that 1,300 teachers were hired without fulfilling the requirements.

The then education minister and his aides were blamed for these “illegal” appointments.

In recent past, the education secretary had terminated the services of almost all of these employees, noting that none of them were eligible to work as teachers.

NAB maintains that these officials took money for these appointments.

The NAB assistant director said the statements several employees were recorded in the raid and indicated that more raids could be conducted if required.

Abdul Azeem, a grade BPS-18 drawing and disbursing officer, told The News that it was not a raid, rather a routine visit as it was not the first time that NAB officials had visited the offices of the education department. He added that the NAB assistant director wanted details of the appointments made during 2012 and he was informed that all relevant records and lists of employees had already been handed over to NAB.

The officer said the education department was fully cooperating with NAB and had already provided it with all the records concerned. “We will continue cooperating with all national departments,” he added

Azeem said several officials had obtained bail from the Sindh High Court and NAB should approach those who might have been involved in wrongdoing instead of disturbing ‘innocent” employees of the department.

Idress Bughio, the education supervisor in Jamshed Town, said the front man for the former schools director Abdul Wahab Abbasi was arrested on Friday.

In February 2015, the Anti-Corruption Establishment Sindh had arrested Abdul Wahad Abbasi and a few other officers of the education department for their alleged involvement in a major embezzlement scam. Later, he obtained bail from a court.

The former schools director is accused of misappropriating funds and hiring ghost teachers in the education department.

An ACE official said there was evidence of Abbasi and other officials’ involvement in embezzlement funds through bogus pension cases and withdrawal of millions of rupees from government accounts.