LAHORE: Special Protection Unit DIG Faisal Ali Rana has recommended to the Punjab IGP to take strict disciplinary action against a senior police officer on the allegation of embezzlement.
The action has been proposed against SSP Waqasul Hassan who had served the SPU as additional director administration.
Mr Rana wrote to the IGP through the additional inspector general of police (operations) Punjab that Mr Waqas being SPU additional director administration committed financial irregularities. He also called him “irresponsible” and “habitual latecomer” claiming that the SSP would often remain absent from the duty. He also defied the chain of command, according to the documents available with Dawn.
The DIG also accused the SSP of misuse of powers as drawing and disbursing officer (DDO).
“It has come to the notice of the undersigned that the above mentioned officer drew an amount of Rs1,550,152 and utilised this amount for different kinds of work/articles,” says the letter. When the rates of the articles were checked from the open market, it says, they were found in excess of original rates.
“I also found out that the officer misused a handsome amount for his own expenses without any prior permission,” the DIG alleged. He stated that he had authorised Mr Waqas to act as DDO to sign all the official bills/cheques etc on his (DIG’s) behalf.
On examination of record of accounts branch, it was found that most of the expenditure had been sanctioned by Mr Waqas as a DDO instead of getting sanctions of each expenditure from him. He also attached the details of accounts as evidence.
Meanwhile, the IGP has transferred Waqasul Hassan from the SPU on the recommendation of its head and sought reply from him.
SSP Waqasul Hassan denied the allegations. “One can easily judge the seriousness of the allegations of embezzlement by the fact that the IGP has just sought my comments/views instead getting the matter inquired by the senior police officers,” he said.
He said he was being victimised for reporting the sorry state of affairs in the SPU to the Punjab police higher-ups.
(Daily Dawn)
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