Anti-Corruption Establishment also flexes its muscles

PESHAWAR: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered a minor player in the fight against corruption in the province due to the presence of the National Accountability Bureau and the Ehtesab Commission, but its performance lately has been impressive.
During the one-year period from May 2014 to May 2015, the ACE registered 174 cases against 785 accused and 524 of them belonging to various provincial government departments were arrested.
In the same period, an amount of Rs1,23,29,84,209 that had been embezzled was recovered from the accused government employees. This included Rs38,05,89,487 recovered in cash and deposited in the government treasury. Also, Rs85,23,94,722 was recovered in the shape of land occupied by members of the land mafia and the ownership was transferred to the provincial government.
According to figures provided by the ACE, presently 158 cases, 1,652 enquiries and 2,959 complaints are being investigated by the ACE’s field staff all over the province. Besides, 178 cases are under trial in the court of the Special Judge Anti-Corruption.
That the ACE has become quite active in pursuing and investigating those suspected of involvement in corruption and misuse of powers is evident from the comparative figures of performance for the period May 2013 to April 2014 and those for May 2014 to May 2015.
The figures show that from May 2013 to April 2014, the ACE registered 51 cases against 168 accused and recovered Rs7,55,92,566. The cases pending investigation during this period were 98, the enquiries totalled 959, the complaints filed were 1,755 and the under trial cases were 120.
In comparison, the cases pending investigation during the period May 2014 to May 2015 were 158, the enquiries ordered were 1,652, the complaints numbered 2,959 and the cases under trial totalled 178. It may be added that the present ACE director Ziaullah Khan assumed charge of his office on May 21, 2014.