Wheat procurement scandal: FIA arrests ex-GM PASSCO Zahoor Ahmed

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested former general manager of Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO), Zahoor Ahmed in wheat procurement corruption case, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to the FIA spokesperson, Zahoor Ahmed was arrested for fraudulently altering the wheat procurement policy of PASSCO’s Managing Director (MD).

The altered policy included purchasing wheat from middlemen instead of directly from farmers. The former GM issued a policy letter to district officers, bearing the MD’s signature, to enforce this change.

A case has been registered against Zahoor Ahmed, and the former PASSCO MD will also be included in the investigation, the spokesperson added.

Read more: Anwarul Haq Kakar dismisses allegations in wheat import scandal

In May, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a corruption case against three PASSCO officials for alleged embezzlement exceeding one billion rupees in a wheat distribution scam.

The case names General Manager Field Zahoor Ranjha, Zonal Head Borewala Rao Akram, and Zonal Head Bahawalnagar Gibran Iqbal. FIA’s investigation stems from a complaint filed by PASCO’s Additional Director General, Shazia Altaf.

According to the charges, Ranjha and Akram are accused of misappropriating PKR 12.72 crore (PKR 127,200,000), while Iqbal faces a steeper charge of PKR 95.94 crore  in connection with the wheat cargo distribution.