THE LGED chief engineer's alleged bid to have an extension of his service through bribing LGRD minister with a luxury car is reprehensible. Needless to say, the luxury vehicle was purchased illegally with project money meant for developing primary education infrastructure. A front page report in Wednesday's issue of this paper provides the sordid details of what lowly tricks the LGED official in question has been resorting to just to enhance his position as well as to prolong his service. To say that one is outraged or shocked is not enough to describe the wickedness involved in such an effort at self-aggrandizement.

As the report goes, before this latest venture, this infamous LGED high-up submitted false freedom fighter's certificate to extend his service for three years, a fact that has been vindicated through an investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). One wonders, how, despite this scandalous track record, he has not only been continuing in his job unscathed but has also taken yet another audacious attempt to hang on to his position.

While being scathing in our critique of the LGED chiefs highly corrupt practices, we are no less baffled at the failure of the law to hold this person to due account. Worse, how are we to explain the strange phenomenon that with such a despicable background this man is yet to fall from the LGRD minister's grace?

Evidently, corruption is too pervasive in this department for its head to feel ashamed of anything. The government must act decisively to clean up the mess by removing and