ACE recovers Rs45 million from Gujranwala district jail ex-superintendent

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GUJRAT/ OKARA: The Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) claimed on Sunday to have recovered a sum of Rs45 million from a former superintendent of Gujranwala District Jail and in a separate action in Okara arrested two Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) officials for taking a bribe. The ex-superintendent, Azhar Cheema, was earlier booked and arrested by the Gujranwala ACE circle on the charges of corruption and misuse of authority on August 20, 2026, with the Gujranwala ACE Director Amjad Shahzad saying the arrest of Cheema had been made on the orders of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to ACE Director General Sohail Zafar Chatha as part of the implementation of the provincial government’s zero-tolerance policy against corruption in departments. He says Cheema had allegedly received a sum of Rs45 million from an overseas Pakistani on the pretext of getting a private housing scheme approved by the authorities concerned. However, when the accused did not fulfill his commitment, the expatriate Pakistani approached the ACE and lodged a formal complaint against the suspect. Two Okara Wasa officials arrested on graft charges The director says that after an initial inquiry, the ACE had registered a graft case against the accused and arrested him. The accused, he says, had purchased two luxury vehicles with the amount, which were recovered by the ACE, along with Rs10 million cash, and sent him to jail after a court gave his judicial remand. The recovered vehicles and cash were handed over to the complainant in the presence of local media in Gujranwala, the director adds. On the occasion, the complainant commended the ACE action and the anti-corruption drive launched by the Punjab government. Meanwhile, Okara Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) finance director and one of his subordinates were arrested by an ACE raiding team headed by deputy director. The FIR reads that a contractor, Sajid Maqsood, had submitted his construction works bills amounting to Rs8.5 million with local Wasa office, but finance director Irfan Ahmad and his subordinate Waqar Sultani allegedly demanded Rs85,000 as bribe for clearing the bill. The contractor filed a complaint with ACE Okara. Acting on the complaint, Deputy Director Malik Tassawar, along with a team, conducted a raid after informing the district & session judge. He arrested the suspect red-handed while taking a bribe. The ACE Okara police station registered a case against both suspects under Section 161 of the PPC and Section 5/2 of the Prohibition of Corruption Act 1947. Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2026

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