Army inquiry report submitted to Kayani

Multi-billion-rupee misappropriation came to light during NLC’s account audit.

ISLAMABAD: The army’s internal inquiry committee on the alleged multi-billion-rupee National Logistic Cell (NLC) scam furnished its report to Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Friday.

“The Court of Inquiry constituted to probe into alleged mal­practice in National Logistic Cell has submitted its findings, opinions and recommendations to the Chief of Army Staff for his consideration and perusal,” said a brief statement issued by ISPR, the military’s public relations wing. General Kayani in November last year constituted a three-member committee headed by a serving corps commander to probe into the mega scam unearthed during audit of accounts of NLC, a subsidiary of Planning Commission, but has traditionally been dominated by the army.

The audit department had reported to the Public Accounts Committee that the NLC had obtained Rs4.3 billion in loans from banks between 2004 and 2008 for investment in volatile bourses and suffered Rs1.84 billion losses. Two major generals were also part of the inquiry committee the army chief had constituted. The PAC, highest parliamentary body on accountability, had taken up the matter last year during its regular meetings on accounts of different departments.

The PAC headed by opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was reportedly about to make some important disclosures in December last year but the whole process was stopped after army’s top brass started the internal inquiry.

Major General Athar Abbas, the spokesman for Pakistan army when contacted told The Express Tribune that the findings of the inquiry report would be made public. He, however, did not give any time frame.

“The report is submitted to COAS today.. He will make a decision when to make the findings public,” he added.

Established in August 1978, NLC is an organisation involved in infrastructure development, provision of freight services, management of border terminals and strategic inland dry ports, manufacturing and engineering excellence, and enhancing energy resources.

The cell oversees mega engineering and construction ventures in Qatar, Afghanistan and other countries of the Middle East and has made a planned expansion of its operations to Central Asian Republics, Turkey and Iran.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2011.