LAHORE - The Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab, while patronising one of its controversial officer, has not taken any action against them even after court orders, The Nation has learnt.
Talking to this scribe on Thursday, Muhammad Rashid, an applicant who had filed a complaint with ACE Director General office against ACE Assistant Director Ahamd Javed Chatha for conniving with dacoits in uniform. Despite an ACE’s Special Judge had found shadiness in investigation by Chatha and a double bench of LHC had passed orders to lodge FIR against the accused, no action had been taken yet, the applicant added.
Muhammad Rashid, Director Koh Noor Oil Mills, was at his factory in Kala Shah Kaku on June 27th, 2010 when the robbers in police uniform entered in. They locked the guard in a room after snatching his gun and looted away Rs1,400,000 in cash.
Soon after the incident, one of the accused, Khalid Javaid, was apprehended. A case was registered with Ferozewala police station on the application of Rashid. During the preliminary investigation, the Investigation officer recovered Rs14,00,000 from Head Constable Raja Amir Ayub, Rs1,00,000 from Sub Inspector Amjad Khan and found 10 other cops involved in the crime.
The IO secured all the articles vide recovery memos. Later on, the investigation was transferred to ACE. At the first, the investigation was conducted by a Sheikhupura Circle Officer and he recommended for judicial action. Later on, the ACE Punjab DG transferred the case to an ACE Deputy Director of Lahore Region. On 14-7-14, AD Chatha was given the task, who recommended for cancellation of this case.
However, Senior Special Judge Anti Corruption Iftikhar Ahmad Khan said in his report, “The grounds mentioned by the ACE AD for the cancellation of the case are flimsy without sufficient evidence and in a dictatorial streak. The investigation, conducted by ACE AD is dishonest and malafide. The recoveries made from the accused persons during first investigation cannot be belied.”
He further said that AD Chatha investigated the case dishonestly and rejected the report for cancellation of the case. “All the accused be summoned to face the trial,” he further ordered.
Then an ACE director of Lahore Region stepped in to defend his subordinate. In his reply, he said that the investigation was conducted on merit and an investigation team under supervision of DDI ACE and CO ACE Lahore Region recommended cancellation of the case. Subsequently, the investigation was entrusted to Ahmed Javed Chatha, who seconded the previous decision and departmental action against Amjad Khan and Ameer Ali, both Sub-Inspectors, and the initiation of proceedings against the complainant under sections 182, 211 PPC.
“The allegations leveled through the petition are baseless and highly misleading. Above all, the order of learned Special Judge Anti Corruption has been suspended by LHC on 15-09-2014,” the ACE director further said .
However, the complainant said that LHC maintained the order of the Special Judge. He said that de-novo inquiry was started on the request of accused and the DG ACE assigned the same to Deputy Director Investigation but Lahore Circle Officer Syed Zubair Akhlaq got his name included in the team without permission of the DG. “He, then, removed witnesses from the file in connivance with the accused party after receiving heavy bribe,” the complainant added. He further said that Ahmad Javed Chatha moved to LHC against the report of Special Judge but LHC also upheld his report. Then Chatha approached Double Bench which suspended the decision regarding Chatha’s malafide role in the investigation but directed ACE to take action against accused of FIR. “But no action has been taken so far,” the applicant concluded.
When this reporter contacted ACE DG Anwar Rasheed, he cleared his position saying that action was not taken only for the reason that AD Chatha had challenged the Special Judge report in LHC.