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of 12 lakh public servants
Writes to cabinet division for advice
Staff Correspondent
The Anti-Corruption Commi-ssion has sought advice from the government as to how to investigate and dispose of the wealth statements submitted by about 12 lakh government employees and officials.
The commission's spokesman Col Hanif Iqbal told reporters at the regular briefing on Monday, 'We have already sent a letter to the cabinet division asking for advice about dealing with the government servants' wealth reports.'
Since it would be time-consuming to deal with the statements of about 12 lakh public servants, the commission is considering ways to involve the departments concerned, said Hanif, also the commission's director general (administration).
He also said that the commission would initiate its drive to combat institutional corruption.
In this regard, the commission intends to start exchange of views with the chiefs and high-ups in different ministries and departments next month, he said.
To begin with, the commission wants to sit with the land ministry in the second week of October and health ministry in the third week, with the communications ministry in the second week of November and local government division in the third week of that month, he added.
According to him, the commission has already sent a letter to the cabinet secretary with an advice to provide the ministries with guidelines as to how they should act under the clean-up drive.
About 12 lakh public servants submitted their wealth statements to the respective ministries and departments till February.
Initially, the interim administration asked its officials and employees to submit wealth statements by December 31, 2007. But the deadline was extended by two months due to poor response from the public servants to the official order.
In December, the government officials and employees were asked to submit their detailed wealth statements in the official forms by February 28 to respective ministries and departments.
Against the backdrop of countrywide drives against corruption and crimes, the establishment ministry in an official order issued on August 28, 2007 asked all ministries and departments to ensure that the Government Employees (Conduct) Rules were properly implemented.
The establishment ministry issued an order to all ministries, directorates and departments asking them to ensure that officials and employees submit updated wealth statements to the government by December 31 through proper channels as the government wanted to expedite the drives against corruption and make the officials more accountable.
According to the Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1979, each employee from joining to retirement from service is obliged to submit their wealth statements to the authorities every five years.
As no inquiry into the wealth statements submitted by the public servants till February has yet been conducted, the anti-graft watchdog has initiated the process for the inquiry and disposal of the statements, said sources in the commission.
Hanif, however, said that the commission was yet to finalise as to how to involve relevant departments in the process.
According to him, the commission will finalise it after consulting the high-ups in different departments and ministries.
About the drive against institutional corruption, Hanif said the objectives of the proposed exchange of views were not to talk about corruption of individuals or to take action against individuals.
'The main objective is to identify the areas and sources of corruption', he said.
Without direct participation of government officials the campaign for rooting out institutional corruption would not be successful, he observed.
He said the necessity of involving senior officials was felt because they knew how corruption took place in respective departments and which legal and structural weaknesses impelled one to indulge in corruption.
He said in the proposed meetings emphasis could be placed on issues like how officials get involved in corruption, officers from which level get involved and what process make them beneficiary.
Such meetings are likely to take place in the respective departments to be attended by officials above senior assistant secretary, he said.
The commission spokesman said that it had decided to suspend inquiries and investigations against those who were referred to the Truth and Accountability Commission considering their clemency applications. The suspension of inquiries and investigations will continue until the Truth Commission disposes of the cases, he added.
Hanif said that the commission had sent a list of seven more individuals to the Truth Commission on Sunday and another five persons applied for referring their cases to the clemency body.
About the commission's annual report submitted to the president on Sunday, Hanif said that the report would be put in the public domain.
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