DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The sub-registrar office of the local revenue department allegedly made fake entries in the property registers in 2019-20 in lieu of stamp duty and the withholding tax, causing the national exchequer a loss of over Rs70 million, sources said on Tuesday.

They told Dawn that a group of deed writers was involved in issuing fake Federal Board of Revenue vouchers regarding the two per cent withholding tax and two per cent stamp duty levied by the federal government on all types of agricultural and commercial properties in 2016. They said the illegal activity continued for a long time, allegedly swindling over Rs70 million.

The sources said the FBR had directed the Dera sub-registrar office not to register any citizen’s property without them first depositing the stamp duty and withholding tax.

An official at the sub-registrar office on condition of anonymity said in 2019-20, some deed writers used to produce fake FBR vouchers with certain registration code to embezzle the tax amount.

“Instead of depositing the amount received in this regard with the said counter, the deed writers used to prepare fake FBR vouchers and attach them to the property registry,” the official disclosed.

He said when the then sub-registrar Habibur Rahman checked the records and investigated the vouchers attached to the registry, he found the total amount of fake tax receipts to be over Rs70 million, which were pocketed by deed writers.

He claimed some officials close to the sub-registrar were also involved in the corruption.

The official said instead of taking action against the deed writers and others, the sub-registrar colluded with them, getting huge benefits in return for covering up the scam. He said the sub-registrar purchased a new luxury car and an expensive plot.

The official said the sub-registrar was a clerk and lived in a small rented house in Bilalabad area when he came to Dera from Tank. “However, now the sub-registrar, who is currently posted in Tank, owns dozens of plots and has a palatial house.”

He said the sub-registrar had transferred his properties in the name of other people.

The sources said the sub-registrar also used to collect commissions from people. They said the sub-registrar had also developed close relations with some property dealers and also acquired properties from them.

When contacted to seek his views on the charges levelled against him, the former sub-registrar, Dera, Habibur Rahman referred to a letter dated December 28, 2021 of the revenue department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and a letter dated December 31, 2021 by Director General Audit, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which there was no mention of corruption in the property registries conducted in 2019-20.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2022