KARACHI Nov 02 (TNS): The anti-corruption department is itself a victim of corruption as inexperienced investigators, coupled with political hiring, continue to affect the performance of the department, resulting in a very low conviction rate.
According to statistics gathered, nearly 1,500 cases have been pending for the past five years. Out of these, 735 cases remain undecided at Hyderabad’s anti-corruption courts, 170 cases in Karachi, 485 in Sukkur and 103 cases at Larkana’s anti-corruption courts.
According to sources, charges of corruption are mostly placed on employees of departments with higher fund allocations. These include the works and services, education, treasury, food and irrigation departments.
Cases registered against low-grade employees are given preference for making deals with corrupt officers. Taking action against Grade 17 or higher officials is a difficult task for the Anti-Corruption Establishment because the Anti-Corruption Committee I, which works under the chief secretary, must get approval in advance.
At a recent meeting of the committee, the chief secretary made it clear that no actions should be taken against officers based on applications and source reports. Cases should only be initiated in light of valid evidence. He warned the chairperson of the anti-corruption department not to blackmail officers and other people.
