Senate body summons KE CEO

Recommended the energy ministry conduct an inquiry against company via FIA, NAB

ISLAMABAD:

Requesting for the issuance of a summons of K-Electric (KE)’s CEO, Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi, the Senate Standing Committee on Power has recommended the Energy Ministry conduct an inquiry against the company through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

KE has once again failed to give the Standing Committee on Power, under the Chairmanship of Senator Saifullah Abro, details of a Rs475 billion investment.

The committee has now recommended the Power Division write a letter to the FIA and NAB directing them initiate an investigation against company.

Various issues were discussed pertaining to KE, including its inception, complete procedure including the tendering process in the privatisation of KE, ownership and achievements made so far, development sector projects and complete details of correspondence made with the Power Division regarding the installation of new power plants and the implementation status of the nine recommendations made by the committee in its previous meeting.

At the outset of the meeting, the committee expressed its displeasure at the CEO’s absence. Abro noted that in the previous meeting, Alvi was instructed to attend the meeting and brief the committee. “The committee will not tolerate such hooliganism,” he stated, adding that Alvi had failed to attend 18 meetings of the Standing Committee.

Abro further said that, if required, he will use the option of summoning the CEO via the police. After a mutual consensus, the committee wrote a letter to the Senate Chairman request for a summons notice to be issued to Alvi. The committee also raised the issue of the absence of the Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division), writing a letter to the Senate Chairman on the spot seeking answers to his continuous absence. It was observed that the privilege of the committee was undermined when the federal minister did not attend despite being called several times.

KE’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Saadia Dada represented Alvi during the meeting and repeatedly maintained that she was ready to answer all the questions. The committee, however, believed that a person from the marketing department was not suitable enough to brief the members.

Dada informed the committee members that KE had continued to make investments even in those years in which it had sustained losses.

Despite objections from committee members, Chairman Abro gave KE’s chief marketing officer the opportunity to explain the details of the Rs475 billion investment – the official, however, failed to answer.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2023.

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