KARACHI: Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Chairman Mumtaz Shah on Sunday told Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah that 52 officers from different government departments had been arrested over charges of corruption, embezzlement and misappropriation of government funds across the province in the past two months.He said 72 first-information reports (FIRs) were registered, while 209 inquiries were initiated against officials in the said time period.Briefing the chief minister at the CM House, the ACE chairman said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had begun sending him inquiries into land, revenue and local government matters – such as illegal and double land allotments, bogus allotment files and other such forgeries and criminal acts.

“So far I have received more than 40 inquiries and have constituted a two- member committee to scrutinise them and conduct thorough inquires so that action could be taken accordingly.”

The chief minister said matters being forwarded by the NAB and FIA must be taken seriously followed by swift action.

“It is a good omen that the federal agencies have started posing confidence in ACE,” said Qaim Ali Shah.