Over Rs 22m corruption: FIA arrests three USC employees

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency arrested three employees of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) in connection with alleged corruption of over Rs 22 million. According to the official documents, on October 22, 2020 (Thursday), FIA Corporate Crime Circle, Karachi, registered a case against seven employees of the Utility Stores Corporation, including Syed Danish Ali, s/o Syed Abu Talib, ex-Store In-charge USC South, Karachi Region, Pak Secretariat Store, Ahmed Faraz, Zulfiqar Ali Soomro, Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Muneer Ahmed Khan, Shahid Murtaza, Naseem Afsar. According to the FIR registered under sections 409, 468, 471, 420, 109, 34 PPC read with 5(2) of PCA-II, 1947, the accused with active connivance of each other misappropriated Rs 22.2 million from USC, Saddar, Karachi.

The FIA’s Corporate Crime Circle, Karachi, initiated an enquiry for embezzlement of Rs22.2 million from two Utility Stores located at Pak Secretariat and Frere Road, Karachi.

Prima facie the inquiry found that on October 18, 2012 the actual opening balance of the stocks at USC, Pakistan Secretariat Store, Karachi, was Rs4,587,802. The accused, Syed Danish Ali, who was in-charge of the store, in connivance with co-accused Zulfiqar Soomro, Junior Accounts Assistant, by tampering and forging the record, falsified the opening balance of Rs2,581,860 in the books. The accused Danish Ali during his two year posting received stocks amounting to Rs80,837,283 and sold the stocks of Rs56,983,045.

Acting on suspicion, the USC Head Office, Islamabad, conducted special audit of Utility Store (Pakistan Secretariat), Karachi. It traced an embezzlement of Rs 22.2 million during the period of Syed Danish's posting.

The special audit also found out active connivance of Saeed Ahmed (late), the-then Accounts Officer, Zulfiqar Soomro, Junior Account Assistant, Ahmed Faraz, Junior Account Assistant, who prepared fake and forged documents in the accounts section, entered less amount in the Accounts Inventory Control Ledger. Both the internal auditors illegally concealed the embezzlement and misappropriation to cover the scam.

Out of the seven accused, the FIA has arrested Syed Danish Ali, Ahmed Faraz and Zulfiqar Ali Soomro. FIA’s Inspector Ayub Mangrio will investigate the case. Deputy Director FIA Corporate Crime Circle Rauf Shaikh told The News that they are working on some more inquiries of corruption in the USC and soon cases would be registered and those responsible would be arrested.