LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has unearthed a financial scam worth over Rs36 million at Shaikh Zayed Hospital (SZH) and arrested its 15 employees including a director finance and a doctor.

The FIA in July last had launched a probe into the allegations that fundsallocated for `public health` at the Shaikh Zayed Hospital were misappropriated.

`We have completed the investigation in a span of nine months and detected Rs36.2m embezzlement of funds in which 15 employees were involved,` FIA Deputy Director Anti-Corruption CircleSyedAsadMuzaffar told a press conference on Thursday.

He said the suspects with the connivance of each other and officers of accounts section made forged entries and prepared fake/bogus bills containing fabricated signatures of consultants/doctors in the Private Practice Share Distribution Section of the Accounts Department, Shaikh Zayed Medical Institute Lahore, to acquire illegal financial benefits.

`The embezzled funds were falsely attributed to doctors. Doctors would charge fees for examining private patients, which was misused in this scheme.

Over a period of one-and-a-half years, 156 fake bills were fraudulently approved,` the deputy director said and added the arrested suspects had been handed over to the FIA on a four-day physical remand.

Those arrested are Tajamul Sattar (director finance BPS-19), M Maqsood (accounts officer BPS-18), Hafiz Akhtar Mehmood (audit officer BPS-18), M. Ijaz (audit officer BPS-18), Waheed Abbas (cashier BPS-16), Dr. Najeebullah Khan (P.G trainee), Haroon Umer (sub-engineer BPS15),NaeemAhmed,Usman Lal Khan and M. Asif (daily wagers), Farooq Khan (naib qasid), Rehan Ali (junior clerk), Rashid Ali (lab attendant), Ali Raza (electrician) and Amjad Jaameel ( transport officer). The suspects have been booked under sections 109, 409, 420, 468, 471, 477-A PPC, R/W 5(2)47 PCA.

Meanwhile, the FIA arrested a Lesco line superintendent for demanding a bribe of Rs1 million from a citizen.