Urea scam: NFC managing director ‘temporarily’ removed
Investigations into the Rs35 million National Fertiliser Corporation (NFC) scam unearthed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have become a serious cause for concern for the sitting managing director (MD) of the NFC and its sister concern the National Fertiliser Marketing Limited (NFML).
According to sources, since the corruption of the former NFML management was exposed, MD NFC Brigadier (Retd) Bilal Ahmed Khan has been removed from his post temporarily for fear influential personalities other than officials concerned, as well as contractors may have been implicated.
The ongoing investigation is likely to uncover misappropriations worth billions of rupees during 2008 to 2010, sources told The Express Tribune. Approximately 11 cases were registered by the FIA during the period.
MD Brig (Retd) Khan sent a letter vides No MD-028 dated July 16 to President Asif Ali Zardari through Squadron leader Jalal Farooq who is aide-de-camp (ADC) to the president.
The letter titled Price of Honesty, reads: “The NFML was established in 1976 with the objective of making chemical fertilisers available at the doorsteps of farmers throughout the country at uniform prices without considering the distance from the supply sources. Till December 2008, the NFML was considered by and large a very clean and efficient organisation,” says the letter.
“However, this enviable scenario could not continue after 2010 up until I took charge on January 20, 2011. This was the period when the utmost corruption took place, not only damaging the organisation but also causing losses worth billions of rupees to the national exchequer.
“The entire organisation was being run by the former managing director along with some other corrupt officials and cartage contractors with the objective of achieving personal gains.
“This included deviation from laid down and time-tested system and procedures of the organisation, making existing dealer networks ineffective by not allocating fertiliser quotas to them and appointing new but fake agencies in their place
MD Brig (Retd) Khan added in the letter, “A number of investigations/inquiry matters pertaining to malpractice and corruption in the past are also underway. The NFML, under my management, is assisting the FIA in digging out facts.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 21st, 2011.
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