Pension scam: ACE raids Hyderabad DAO, seizes record

KARACHI: Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Hyderabad zone’s special team on Monday raided District Accounts Office (DAO) Hyderabad, seized record and evidence pertaining to alleged issuance of pension in last seven years to unauthorised persons illegally.

Earlier on August 7, 2020, The News pointed out this matter with the heading of “Sindh ACE initiates probe into Rs2b Hyderabad DAO scam”. On Monday, August 10, Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) seized the record of the pension section and then sealed it. An officer of ACE, Hyderabad on condition of not to be quoted him told The News that in Monday’s surprise visit, ACE seized useful record of reported corruption in pension section and after scrutiny of the record, it could be determined about the volume of embezzlement. Sources of DAO, Hyderabad have informed The News that more than Rs2 billion have been disbursed to unauthorised persons in last four years in the head of the pension by District Accounts Office, Hyderabad through a private person namely Zahid Hussain who is not the employee of DAO and was made in-charge of the pension section illegally.

Sources of Accountant General (AG) Sindh office has informed this reporter that after the publication of the story in The News, private person Zahid has been restricted to come in the DAO, Hyderabad by the senior officers.

Sources of AG Sindh has informed that Zahid was then hired by an officer of DAO Hyderabad Mushtaq Sheikh who is in jail in an alleged corruption case of over Rs2 billion. The case was registered against him and his aides by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and then another senior official of AG Sindh rehired Zahid due to his ability of corruption on a high scale, forgery and manipulation in manual and even in the computerised record.

Earlier a senior official of Accountant General office, Sindh has directed the District Accounts Officer, Hyderabad to look into the matter of pension.