Three FIA officials found guilty in housing society scam

LAHORE:  A high-powered enquiry committee of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has held its three officials including two Deputy Directors as responsible for alleged irregularities committed in the FIA Employees Co-operative Housing Society in Islamabad, The News has learnt. 

The five-member inquiry team has recommended a criminal case to investigate the financial losses caused to the society by the three FIA officials who held positions of general secretary, acting president and executive committee member as well as three partners of a company, a five-member enquiry team recommended in its report, available with this correspondent. 

According to sources, the former director general FIA Muhammad Amlesh in September 2016 had formed a high-powered committee comprising Dr Usman Anwar, Director FIA Punjab Zone, Javed Hussain Shah, Addl Director Immigration (now retired), Khalid Naeem, Asst Director Legal, Islamabad Zone, Khalid Anis, Asst Director, Punjab Zone and Ahmed Ali Aafani, Asst Director, Islamabad Zone to investigate the affairs of FIA Employees Co-operative Housing Society, Islamabad. 

It may be relevant to mention here that FIA’s top management decided in 2014 to make functional the proposal of establishing FIA’s first Co-operative Housing Society in Islamabad and for this purpose a ten-member Management Committee (MC) was formed on October 27 2014.

The MC signed an agreement with a company which was registered only a month back before entering into an agreement with the FIA in 2015 for purchasing land and executing its construction at a designated Moza Malot, Zone IV, Islamabad, area. The Housing Society, FIA Park Enclave was to be launched on 4200 kanals compact land but the MC along with the company could only purchase around 600 kanals of land and that too at a hilly area.

“The then seniors of FIA HQ made a mistake by considering the general reputation of the key officials for their elections/selections as the MC members of the society as majority of them were working as ministerial staff. None of the members of the management committee had the capacity, capability, and required skills to manage the planned multi-billion worth modern project,” the committee observed.  

The then acting vice president joined hands with the general secretary in every decision made by him — all in favour of the company and not the society, eventually lead the society to incorrigible condition and at least two FIA officials knew from the beginning that the firm they chose for the land provision and development of the society did not have professional strength or background, the committee observed, adding the housing project of the society in the designated Malot area is a non-starter based on wrong and overestimated assumptions and hypotheses.

The enquiry committee further noted that the senior management officials knew that the company partners had a criminal history as FIA itself had interrogated them in a criminal case.  The company partners were criminally charged under FIA SIU Islamabad’s FIR No. 04/2004, March 26, 2004 followed by Inquiry No. 46/2003, the reports added. 

The committee also pointed out that the management committee of the FIA society made payments to the company even after the expiry of the agreement on April 15, 2016 which is based on dishonesty and hence the manager of the society is guilty of criminal misconduct. Furthermore, it also observed that the company and MC purchased the land at very high prices in compare to normal rates of the area.

“The society started acquiring land through the company at the rate of Rs.1.57 million/kanal, but as per independent sources, average land price was not more than Rs.1.2 to 1.3 million/kanal. As majority of the land acquired falls in the hilly part of the area its value is only around Rs.0.5 to 0.7 million/ kanal”, the report noted. 

The enquiry team also noted the fact that two or three influential parties had also acquired most of the land adjoining the land acquired by the society due to which purchase of more land from these parties is the only solution left with the society and that seems either undoable or much costlier for the society and hence may not turn out to be cost effective. 

The enquiry committee observed that as of October 3, 2016, total amount deposited by members was Rs. 1.770 billion, most of which was deposited by ministerial staff members, out of which the MC used around Rs. 1.025 billion. The break-up of the amount: Rs.2.81 million on office rent as of September 2016, Rs.3.68 million on office renovation and repair expenses, Rs.1.7 million spent on purchase of ACs (to be further confirmed) and Rs.2.65 million were also spent on officers’ salaries which the enquiry committee termed as unjustified for a new Society funded on members’ Contribution.

When contacted, Acting DG FIA Capt (retd) Ahmed Latif told The News that since he assumed the charge only a couple of days back so he has no idea about the case at the moment. He, however, stated that he would look into the issue personally. 

Director Technical and the incumbent president of the FIA Housing Society, Hazrat Ali, told The News that strict actions should be taken against all those involved in the alleged irregularities committed in the society’s affairs. 

“Everyone who has done anything wrong in society’s affairs must be punished”, he said. To a question, the senior FIA official stated that now they were in contact with Intelligence Bureau (IB) to get plots for FIA employees in their society. Our discussion with the IB is in initial phase and we are trying hard to do something for the FIA employees, he further said.

When contacted, one of the prime accused, as per the inquiry report, said they consider the inquiry team as bogus because it was formed for their victimisation. He rejected all the findings of the team saying they purchased the land at normal rates and as per agreed agreement between the FIA and the land developers. 

When asked about team’s claim of hefty spending on society’s office, he stated it was necessary as they wanted to ‘attract’ general public for sale of 50 per cent plots. It was need of the hour to have a good renovated office of the FIA society. The society’s renovated office will remain the property of FIA, he remarked.