To catch a thief

Although PM Imran Khan has removed his accountability czar Shahzad Akbar over his failure to get the Sharifs prosecuted in the infamous money laundering case, another key player of the entire accountability process Dr Muhammad Rizwan – Director FIA Lahore – is still in the ‘business’ despite many corruption cases against him.

DIG Dr Rizwan has been heading the entire investigations of FIA against PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and his family in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case, Jahangir Khan Tareen in the JDW Sugar Mills case, the family of federal minister Khusro Bakhtiar as well as the Chaudaries of Gujrat in the Alliance Sugar Millscase.

It is interesting to know how Dr Rizwan, who was then Director FIA Economic Crime Wing (ECW) Islamabad, was introduced to Shahzad Akbar and who later on became his (Akbar’s) go-to-guy in the ambitious accountability drive.

Soon after the PTI government was formed in 2018, former DG FIA Bashir Memon attached Rizwan to the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) which was led by Shahzad Akbar. At the time, Memon didn’t heed the advice of not attaching Rizwan with Akbar. During his attachment at the ARU, Rizwan became close to Akbar owing to which he got the all-important posting of Director FIA Lahore Zone-I in December 2019.

It is also said that Rizwan successfully managed the transfer of his immediate boss Ehsan Sadiq, an upright and strict officer, from Additional Director General (ADG) North to ADG ECW Headquarters soon after landing at Lahore. Sadiq had successfully led the fake accounts Joint Investigation Team (JIT) against PPP Co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari and the Omni Group in 2018. Rizwan had served under Sadiq in the JIT and was well aware of the working of his senior.

Then came the big sugar scandal in 2020. The federal cabinet referred the sugar enquiry to FIA Lahore after a high-powered commission – formed by PM Khan – had found cartelisation in the sugar industry that pocketed billions in a year through massive price hike.

In 2021, at least two complaints were filed against the sugar enquiry head Dr Rizwan, for allegedly taking bribes worth millions of rupees. But the powerful Grade-20 officer escaped any investigation or action against him.

According to documents available with Bol News, Nadeem Ahmad, a resident of Lahore, submitted an application with the then ADG FIA [North] Abubakar Khuda Bakhash and Director FIA Lahore Zone-I, accusing Rizwan and his team of taking Rs 30 million in bribe to close a case against his opponents.

Though Dr Rizwan’s office received the complaint via diary number 1550 on April 13, 2021, an immediate subordinate of Rizwan couldn’t investigate him so the matter is still pending.

Similarly, the office of the ADG FIA North had received another complaint against Rizwan on October 25, 2021, via diary number 1620, in which the complainant had accused the senior FIA official and his team members of taking bribes worth millions of rupees from sugar dealers of Akbari Mandi in Lahore.

Dr Rizwan-led FIA Lahore team had registered around 10 FIRs against the sugar mafia [sugar dealers] for allegedly manipulating the sugar industry through betting. Dr Rizwan had claimed that the Satta Mafia earned illegal benefits to the tune of Rs 110 billion in 2020 alone by creating an artificial shortage of sugar and the subsequent price hike. He further claimed to have all the digital evidence against hundreds of thousands of gamblers and identified 40 big players in the scam. However, to-date not a single person among the accused have been arrested by the FIA.

The DIG, who is a cancer-survivor, is notorious of being abusive, not only with his subordinates but also with his seniors.

In 2018, when Rizwan was posted as Additional Director Cyber Crimes at Lahore, he not only abused and threatened some of the FIA officials but also released an accused Nadeem Kiani from the custody. Dr Rizwan also registered an FIR against a complainant and put her name on the FIA’s list. Later, cyber crimes officials Deputy Director Chaudhry Sarfraz, Deputy Director Muhammad Usman and several others approached DG FIA and complained about Rizwan.

Former in-charge Cyber Crimes Wing, Capt (retd) Muhammad Shoaib then conducted an enquiry and found Rizwan guilty of misuse of authority and gross misconduct. Capt Shoaib wrote that Rizwan not only misused his official position, used vulgar and abusive language but also set free accused Nadeem Kiani without following due procedures. The enquiry report is still pending for any departmental or criminal proceedings against the accused DIG.

According to sources, a few years back, Dr Rizwan had also misbehaved with ADG FIA Basharat Shahzad. The ADG complained about the ‘rowdy’ behaviour of Rizwan in writing to the then DG FIA Bashir Memon. The former DG then intervened and the matter was resolved and Basharat withdrew his complaint after Rizwan extended an apology.

Now Memon himself is at the receiving end as Rizwan has launched a probe against his former boss for allegedly facilitating a fugitive.

But the buck didn’t stop here. Rizwan further ordered asset investigations against a couple of Deputy Directors including Ijaz Ahmad and Chaudhry Sarfraz, allegedly for the two ‘not toeing his line.’ Similarly, Rizwan ordered the arrest of an Assistant Director Rab Nawaz on flimsy charges of not collecting evidence properly in a case.

While investigating the sugar scam, Dr Rizwan has created his own fiefdom at FIA Lahore, sidelining the agencies’ senior officials one by one. He chose junior and inexperienced FIA officers to investigate the most complex of cases of money laundering against the Sharifs, the Tareens, the Khusros and the Chaudharys [of Gujrat] due to which the sugar enquiry is still in a limbo, despite the passage of nearly two years since the scam was unearthed.

A few months back, according to sources, it was Dr Rizwan who had allegedly influenced Shahzad Akbar in canceling the posting orders of Dr Usman Anwar as ADG FIA.

According to sources, DG FIA Sanaullah Abbasi – after the retirement of Abubakar Khuda Bakhash – wanted Additional IGP Dr Anwar to replace him as ADG FIA North and as immediate supervising officer over Rizwan. But Rizwan, while suspecting a crackdown by Anwar against his alleged wrongdoings, maneuvered things to ensure that he (Anwar) never got his posting in FIA during his tenure. Transfer orders of Dr Usman Anwar were withdrawn the day he was going to take charge. Later, Anwar was posted as Additional IG Police Operations Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK).

Dr Rizwan, according to sources, is so much concerned about his pending ‘matters’ that he has installed around a dozen cameras inside FIA Lahore’s building, not only to ‘monitor’ the visitors but the FIA officials as well.

Director Admin FIA Islamabad DIG Shakil Durrani, when contacted about the alleged charges against Rizwan and whether an inquiry could be initiated against him, said Rizwan is himself director FIA so it it not possible for him to order an enquiry against his own alleged wrongdoings. He said that no FIA official of any grade can initiate enquiry against his own actions. Durrani went on to add that he wasn’t aware of any complaint filed against Dr Rizwan at the FIA Headquarters. “If any such complaint has been filed, it might have been sent to DG [FIA] through the office Director HRM.”

He said the DG is the competent authority to decide about the initiating criminal or departmental enquiry against any top FIA official.

However, Dr Rizwan when approached, confirmed to Bol News that an enquiry is pending against him at FIA Lahore. “But the second complaint against me is anonymous and rubbish,’’ he said, adding he would check the status of the pending enquiry against him to respond further.  To a question about how a senior FIA official could order an investigation against his own acts of alleged wrongdoings right under his nose, Dr Rizwan said he would welcome any probe against him by any of the FIA officials.