ISLAMABAD:
The Ministry of Narcotics Control (MoNC) has issued a letter declaring M/s Berlix Lab International, the main accused party in the Rs7 billion ephedrine quota allocation scam as an “innocent and a law abiding business house.” The 3- page letter, duly signed by the MoNC secretary, Zafar Abbas Luk has granted a clean chit to all accused, including Ali Moosa Gilani, the younger son of Prime Minister Gilani.
The letter further says that “no direct evidence of misuse of quota by the firm (M/s Berlix Lab international of Rizwan Ahmed Khan) has been established.”
However, the case took a new turn on March 28, when a 3-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), headed by the Chief Justice rejected a request from Brigadier Fahim of the ANF for withdrawing of the case. The apex court directed Fahim to present the letter moved by the MoNC secretary directing the ANF to stop investigating the matter at next hearing fixed for April 20.
A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had earlier in its report identified officials of the health ministry for abusing their powers to grant the Ephedrine quota to the two firms in violation of rules. For one, the ministry did not verify the authenticity of export orders submitted by the firms to seek a no objection certificate (NoC) for securing the whopping 10,000 kilograms of Ephedrine quota.
Insiders say Sohail Ahmed, Zafar Luk’s predecessor, chose to leave MoNC to take some other assignment after facing extreme pressure for exonerating those involved in this scam. It may be recalled that after formal approval from the MoNC, the Anti Narcotics Force had launched investigations into the case in early 2011. Over a period of one year an ANF investigation team grilled dozens of retired and serving officials.
Dr Rashid Jooma, a retried DG Health, who chaired the meeting in 2010 that approved huge quota of banned substance for the firms without following the laid down rules of the Drug Act 1976, along with many others submitted written statements explaining their reasons for allocating this quota. Background interviews of MoNC officials indicate that since October 2011, a top official at the PM House, having a direct role in the grant of the quota to the two companies, was following the case on a daily basis. When he failed to push the MoNC to exonerate those involved, the PM’s son, Ali Musa Gilani, is alleged to have personally tried to “tame” the then MoNC secretary, Sohail Ahmed.
The ANF then wanted to question Ali Musa Gilani as its investigation had allegedly established a direct link between him and the multi-billion drug scandal. Ali Musa Gilani is said to have been issued a show cause notice on March 22.
When Zafar Abbas Luk, a junior officer of grade 20, was brought to MoNC as its secretary after an out-of-turn promotion to grade 21 in January 2012, his first assignment was to write a letter to ANF to stop investigating the case. Luk obliged and wrote the letter by allegedly tampering the facts and figures to reportedly provide the prime minister’s son and other accused a safe exit.
When Zafar Abbas Luk was contacted for his views more than once, each time his personal secretary, Mansoor, said that the boss (Zafar Abbas Luk) was out of office. Finally, this correspondent faxed a questionnaire to Zafar Luk’s office, that too turned out to be a futile exercise.
Ephedrine is the basic drug for manufacture of methamphetamine tablets which retail (street level) for $5 per tablet. The drug allocated to Multan companies with a potential for 300 million tablets can mean a wholesale shipment of $300 to 600 million for an eventual market value of over a billion dollars. This indicates the true magnitude of the corruption perpetrated with this special allocation to practically unknown drug companies from Multan, say observers.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2012.
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I think Moosa Gilani showed his guts and therefore he was given ticket to contest for MNA so that he may do wonders for the country. Best of Luck NA 149 Mulatn constituency voters. As I am proid Voter of NA 149 from where he elected MNA, and i am crossing myself to not votinh him, as he is now putting all resources of region in that contituency to please the his voters, people are getting there demands fulfilled within days at whatever cost to coutry tresuery and without merit, out of turn, are the main tools.