FIA arrests govt servant on bribery charges

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Sindh Zone’s Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) on Monday claimed to have arrested a government servant for his involvement in mass corruption.

The spokesman for the FIA Sindh mentioned the brief facts of the case: FIR No. 04/2021 dated March 20, 2021 was registered at the FIA ACC Karachi, an interim charge sheet was submitted against six accused persons inducting the accused Abdul Ghaffar, and a report was received from the investigating officer of the predicate offence.

During the investigation of the predicate offences, it transpired that the accused Abdul Ghaffar, deputy director and forensic expert during his posting as Cyber Crime Reporting Centre Karachi incharge, extended undue benefit and favour to a private firm against the receipt of illegal remuneration and bribe.

The officials of the private firm were also nominated as accused persons in the FIR due to their role in abetment under the Pakistan Penal Code’s Section 161 (Public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect to an official act) and other relevant sections of the law.

An amount of Rs14 million given as illegal gratification was ascertained, out of which Rs4 million was transferred and handed over in Lahore to Najma Hafeez on January 25 through contact person PW Amin.

The same is corroborated by the subsequent cash deposit of Rs1 million in a bank account with the title Najma Hafeez deposited by herself at a bank’s Fortress branch in Lahore on January 26.

Moreover, Rs10 million was transferred through contact person PW Amin to one Asim Mansoor on January 28 in Lahore upon the directions of the accused Abdul Ghaffar. In the meantime, the accused Abdul Ghaffar was in frequent mobile phone contact with Asim Mansoor, to whom Rs10 million was handed over by contact person PW Amin.

The disposal, transfer and conversion of proceeds to crime to Rs14 million to some other form is to be ascertained during the investigation, and upon the successful trace, codal formalities for attachment will be commenced in accordance with the law.

Hence, it is established that the accused Abdul Ghaffar, in the capacity of public servant, by misusing his position acquired the crime proceeds obtained from the commission of predicate offences as specified in Schedule-1 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2010, and the above-mentioned property questioned amounts in the banks accounts of Najma Hafeez is property involved in money laundering as defined in Section-2(xxxi) of the Act, thus committed offence of money laundering.

Hence, with the approval of the competent authority, a case is registered against Abdul Ghaffar and others, and Abdul Ghaffar has been arrested, while further investigations are under way.