IESCO chief removed for hiring people illegally

Power ministry holds CEO responsible for Rs450 million scam

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Water and Power has sacked Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) Chief Executive Officer Yousaf Awan for being allegedly involved in a Rs450-million scam due to illegal hiring of 2,000 employees, officials say.

The move came following an inquiry initiated by the ministry to fix responsibility for the irregular appointments.

The ministry had already sent Iesco Director General Human Resource Tariq Mehmood back to his parent department - the Intelligence Bureau - as he was also said to have played a major role in hiring people in the company.

Mehmood was a teacher and was appointed in the Intelligence Bureau. After the current government came to power, he got a slot in Iesco where he allegedly got involved in corruption.

However, the power ministry has not yet taken any action against people working in the office of water and power minister who were accused of sending lists to Iesco for hiring people.

According to officials, though all power distribution companies took the services of National Testing Services for making appointments, the top management of Iesco relied on another testing company that was reportedly established by a close aide of the Iesco chief.

The company received a total fee of Rs450 million from the candidates who had applied for different posts. This was in addition to the bribe taken from the candidates to ensure their hiring.

Apart from this, Iesco gave an advertisement that suggested that the number of people to be hired could be decreased or increased. “Taking advantage of this, Iesco appointed 2,000 people,” an official aware of the development said.

The inquiry launched by the ministry fixed responsibility on Iesco CEO Yousaf Awan and removed him from the post.

The inquiry was conducted with respect to mismanagement in hiring on the basis of documentary evidence provided to the ministry by different sources.

Services and recruitment rules were amended and tailoured in a way to make them fit for the candidates that paid for different slots.

Awan was holding the post of CEO for over one year after his retirement. Though the board had recommended an extension in service for the second time, the prime minister did not give his consent, the official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th,  2015.

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