Fresh probe into Wasa graft case ordered

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has directed the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to hold a fresh inquiry against an officer of Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) purely on merit and bring on record verbal and documentary evidence.

Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq Ahmad passed this order on a petition filed by Wasa XEN Sheikh Muhammad Akram challenging summons being issued to him by the ACE in an inquiry into misappropriation of millions of rupees against officials of Data Ganj Bakhsh Town. Petitioner’s counsel Syeda Aqeela Batool told the court that her client had not been nominated in the complaint.

However, she said a five-member investigation team of the ACE had recommended judicial action against 18 officials, including the petitioner. Later, the counsel said, in the revised inquiry the judicial action was dropped against three XENs, including the petitioner and the department inquiry was ordered against them. She pointed out that the petitioner was found innocent in two consecutive department inquiries and now on the same facts the petitioner was being summoned by the ACE, which was illegal rather against the norms of justice.

The counsel asked the court to set aside the inquiry launched by the ACE and restrain the investigating officer concerned from extending harassment to the petitioner. The judge issued notice to the ACE for April 26.