LAHORE: Sources disclosed that, the management of the Red Crescent Medical and Dental College has assured the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that they will be returning millions of rupees they received in the form of donations back to students.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, along with other judges, paid a surprise visit to the college and took notice of this matter. FIA, Lahore launched a probe into the issue after registering an enquiry over the allegations of overcharges in the name of donations by the college’s management. According to sources, the college management admitted to the statement that, other than the usual fee, amounting to Rs850,000, the college also received a million or so rupees from every student at the time of admissions.
“So far we have come to the conclusion that there are over 270 students currently enrolled, the management will have to return at least Rs270 million to students, that they charged in the name of donations,” an FIA official said. He said the agency recorded statements of College Principal, Mr. Abid Hussain, Secretary Red Crescent Society Chaudhry Abdul Majid, Member BOT, Muhammad Nawaz, Manager Finance, Shahid Iqbal and Member Managing Committee Liaqat Ali Chishti. The FIA submitted the initial report to the Supreme Court Registrar. The College Management, admitted before the investigators that the college was not only lacking in medical facilities but also the faculty and other staff and that they had advertised the vacant posts.
In the report, the FIA also pointed out that the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had allowed the College 100 seats for admission but there was no specific merit criterion for admission to the medical college. “Anyone who appears in Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) can get admission to the college,” observed the FIA. The PMDC has been requested to appoint a focal person regarding this matter and to conduct an inspection of the college.
Sources reveal that hard disks /Laptops recovered from the College were also handed over to technical experts of the FIA for forensic analysis. Moreover, the FIA in its report stated that bank accounts of the College would be examined.
PMDC team conducted an inspection of the medical college on March, 1, 2018. A similar inspection of the College was made by the PMDC in October 2016, terming performance of the college as satisfactory. It had allowed the college to make enrolments of students as per the allocated quota.
