RDA sends corruption case to anti-graft body

RAWALPINDI:

A financial scandal involving alleged embezzlement at the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has expanded in scope, with the misappropriated amount now estimated at Rs1.94 billion, up from an earlier Rs1.64 billion.

In response, RDA Director General Kanzeh Murtaza has referred the case to the director general of Punjab's Anti-Corruption Establishment for investigation.

The alleged scam is believed to have stemmed from weak financial discipline and a lack of oversight from authorised officials over the past decade.

According to sources, since fiscal year 2016-17, funds received by the RDA from the Metro Bus Project and other sources were reportedly disbursed via Call Deposit Receipts (CDRs) to various companies and fictitious vendors.

The issue came to light roughly two weeks ago when a discrepancy in the RDA account balance prompted an internal review.

Following this, an inquiry committee was established by the RDA DG. The committee was able to retrieve some records from a single bank but faced obstacles in obtaining documentation from other private banks.

Attempts to register a First Information Report (FIR) at city police Station were unsuccessful, with police citing jurisdictional limitations.

Consequently, a formal reference was submitted to the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment.

Sources suggest that the involvement of private banks and the large scale of the embezzlement - approaching Rs2 billion - could lead to the case being forwarded to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).