Pay and pensions: Sindh E&ACE forms JIT to probe ‘corruption’

KARACHI: The Enquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment (E&ACE), Sindh, constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe in to the matter of alleged corruption of billions of rupees in pay and pension heads through suspicious bank transactions in different district accounts of province.

Following the formal request of investigation of Sindh Finance Department regarding the suspicious payments of salaries and pensions made through 139 bank accounts to 59 individuals, E&ACE Chairman Muhammad Iqbal Memon constituted the JIT headed by E&ACE Director Muhammad Ali Baloch.

According to the official correspondence copies of which are available with The News, the Finance Department Secretary asked the chairman that during the course departmental inquiry it has been revealed that suspicious pay and pension payments have been made to the 59 individuals through their 139 bank accounts. He also provided details of the individuals and their accounts.

Last week six officers of different District Accounts Offices (DAOs) were removed from their positions and directed to report to the Finance Department after the reports of alleged corruption and embezzlement of billions of rupees.

Federal and Provincial Anti-Corruption regulators National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment are already investigating the same issue.

Two months back the Federal Finance Division, keeping in view the same situation, had formed some new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in order to bring transparency and ease in the pension payment process.

According to the new SOPs, a pensioner shall be required to undergo biometric verification from any branch of a bank maintaining his or her pension account, every year in March and September, and if the pensioner is unable to undergo biometric verification due to incapacitation by bodily illness, infirmity, or if his or her fingerprints do not exist due to old age or a genetic condition, he or she will provide a life certificate and pension shall be paid through a bank account either current or PLS maintained in the pensioner's name.