Altaf Hamid Rao,
MIRPUR (AJK): Azad Jammu & Kashmir has recovered the allegedly embezzled money of Rs. 0.8 million money from an Assistant Engineer involved in the mega corruption scam of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the state-sponsored over Rs. 7.00 billion Mirpur Greater Supply and Sewerage Project, AJK Accountability Bureau said.
An AJK Accountability Bureau’s spokesperson said in a press statement issued late Tuesday that the PMU Assistant Engineer (time) had made the payment of excessive amount to the concerned contractor. The AJK Investigating Officer / Deputy Director AJK Accountability Bureau deposited the above recovered money in the government exchequer after recovering it from the custody of the accused, the spokesperson said.
The AJK AB had earlier recovered identical embezzled money of Rs. 2.3 million from other arrested accused in the same mega project. Thus a total of Rs. 3.01 million have so far been recovered from the arrested officials of the PMU of the same project and deposited it in the public exchequer of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. “Stringent Action is in progress against other accused involved in this mega corruption scam with prime focus to the recover the plundered public money from the custody of the accused under the prevalent rules and law”, according to the spokesperson.
Several of persons including officials of the Project Management Unit of Mirpur Greater Supply and Sewerage Project have so far been arrested. Further investigations in to the mega scandal are in the progress, the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Chairman AJK Accountability Bureau has directed the investigating team, probing in to the case, to initiate indiscriminate action against all the characters involved in corruption in this most important mega development project of mass public welfare in Mirpur city and stipulated adjoining hamlets.
The project, it may be added, was launched as part of uplift of Mirpur city and adjoining hamlets under the Rs. 107 billion Mangla dam raising project. Since this gigantic greater water supply and sewerage project became the victim of corruption, right from its advent, it could not be completed and the population of Mirpur city and other stipulated adjoining areas could not be benefited of the project.