KARACHI: The Sindh government on Wednesday announced that it had detected ‘massive corruption’ in its tractor subsidy scheme in the provincial agriculture ministry.

“Subsequently,” said an official handout, “the record is obtained from the agriculture ministry and thorough inquiries are conducted into the matter.”

The handout issued by the provincial information ministry added that an inquiry into the matter revealed that a suspect, Shahzad Riaz, the chief executive officer of M/s Shahzad Trade Link, agent of Belarus Tractors, worked as a dealer to deliver tractors to growers and “emerged successful [contractor] under subsidised tractors scheme, from 2009 to 2012.

“Shahzad Riaz [was] supposed to deliver [a] tractor to [a] grower and to claim subsidy of Rs300,000 per tractor. As many as 5,780 tractors were purportedly delivered by him to growers.”

But, it added, “Actually on ground he did not do so. He received subsidy of Rs1.45 billion, fraudulently. The record further revealed that Shahzad Riaz received cash payment and generated invoices on the names of growers and claimed huge subsidy from the government, evidently in connivance with three directors of the Sindh agriculture department.”

Officials said the Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) adopted legal procedures and sent the matter to the Anti-Corruption Committee-I for further necessary legal action.

After obtaining approval from ACC-I, the ACE registered an FIR against the contractor and three directors of the agriculture ministry. “Further investigation is under way,” it said.

The IO conducted a raid at a house in DHA, and successfully took custody of Amir and Ahsan, who were allegedly busy in destroying the record [evidence] related to the case.

“The other day ACE booked accused Shahzad Riaz and three officials of the agriculture department in a corruption case regarding subsidised tractor scheme.”