LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday challenged the appointment of Sohail Zafar Chattha as director general of the Anti-Corruption Establishment, Punjab in Lahore High Court (LHC).
PTI Secretary General Asad Umar filed the petition against the interim Punjab government’s decision, making the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the chief secretary and others respondents in the case.
Asad Umar took the ground that as per the law, the DG of anti-corruption department is appointed for a period of three years, the petitioner argued, adding that the government had removed Nadeem Sarwar before the completion of his tenure. He said the provincial government had illegally appointed Chatta as new DG.
Before his appointment as DG anti-corruption, Mr Chatta served as DIG Operations in the Islamabad police.
Mr Chattha is known to have played a key role in the massive agitation movement of the PTI in Islamabad where many anti-terrorism cases were registered against party chairman Imran Khan and other top leadership.
It is pertinent to added here that Sohail Zafar Chattha and several other police officers had been implicated in as case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), alleging that at least Rs3bn had been misappropriated in district Gujrat under different heads, including petrol bills, allowances and martyrs funds of the police department during their posting as DPO.
The NAB probed four former DPOs of Gujrat, including SP Kamran Mumtaz, SSP Rai Ijaz, SSP Sohail Zafar Chattha and Rai Zameer. As per NAB claims, all four former DPOs during their tenure in Gujrat had embezzled billions under different heads of procurement, including petrol, uniforms, martyr funds, fake vouchers, pensions and alleged ghost employments. It is pertinent to mention here that nine accused had obtained bail in the case.
The other accused in this case included former District Accounts Officer, Gujrat Chan Peer (2016-17), District Accounts Officer, Gujrat Muhammad Afzal (2014-16), Muhammad Fayyaz Naqdi Muharar DPO Office, Gujrat, Rameez Ahmad ex-constable DPO Office Gujrat, Muhammad Ashraf Senior Auditor Accounts Gujrat, Muhammad Asif Butt Bank Manager, Gujrat and Shakeel Ahmad, Bank Operation Manager, Gujrat.
