Ongoing investigations: Senior LESCO officials under fire, 18 factory owners summoned
FIA has issued asset declaration forms to all officers being investigated.
The FIA has issued summons to the owners of 18 textile industries to join the investigation. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
Colonel Saif, a member of the Prime Minister’s Inspection Team, and Mirza Baig, a senior official of the Ministry of Water and Power, visited the FIA Punjab office on Friday and monitored the Federal Investigation Agency’s inquiry against four senior officials of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO).
The FIA is investigating Planning and Engineering Chief Engineer Rao Zameerul Haq, Material Management Senior Manager Qaiser Zaman, Material Management Deputy Manager Ramazan Butt, Transmission Line Construction Executive Engineer Rai Asghar for misuse of authority and irregularities in procurement, civil works and construction and sought further records. The FIA has also summoned officials in charge of the grid stations and feeders the irregularities were conducted through.
The FIA has issued summons to the owners of 18 textile industries to join the investigation. They are suspected of bribing the suspended LESCO chief executive officer, Arshad Rafique, LESCO Operations Director Mehboob Ali and other officials to get electricity for their factories in excess of their share according to notified load-shedding schedule.
Staff of some grid stations have said that several top LESCO officials were taking bribes, up to Rs30,000 per hour, from factory owners to modify the load-shedding schedule and provide them extra electricity.
Some Grid System Operation workers provided the FIA officials records showing names of industrial units exempted from load-shedding schedule.
The FIA investigation team has also sought photocopies of all tenders and tender openings published in newspapers during 2012-13 and 2013-14, attested copies of comparative statements, recommendations of award of tenders, copies of purchase orders and evaluation reports of tenders.
Asset declaration forms have been distributed among the officers being investigated. Details of their banks accounts have also been sought.
Damage to equipment worth more than Rs1 billion at the 132KV grid station in Phool Nagar on March 16, 2014, due to negligence was not investigated on directions of the CEO.
The line losses too were made to appear less than they actually were. The losses in LESCO transmission were shown to be 0.4 per cent instead of 2.54 per cent as calculated by independent consultants.
The CEO had even asked customer services centres not to facilitate consumers in correcting in their bills, a report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune has revealed.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2014.
Colonel Saif, a member of the Prime Minister’s Inspection Team, and Mirza Baig, a senior official of the Ministry of Water and Power, visited the FIA Punjab office on Friday and monitored the Federal Investigation Agency’s inquiry against four senior officials of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO).
The FIA is investigating Planning and Engineering Chief Engineer Rao Zameerul Haq, Material Management Senior Manager Qaiser Zaman, Material Management Deputy Manager Ramazan Butt, Transmission Line Construction Executive Engineer Rai Asghar for misuse of authority and irregularities in procurement, civil works and construction and sought further records. The FIA has also summoned officials in charge of the grid stations and feeders the irregularities were conducted through.
The FIA has issued summons to the owners of 18 textile industries to join the investigation. They are suspected of bribing the suspended LESCO chief executive officer, Arshad Rafique, LESCO Operations Director Mehboob Ali and other officials to get electricity for their factories in excess of their share according to notified load-shedding schedule.
Staff of some grid stations have said that several top LESCO officials were taking bribes, up to Rs30,000 per hour, from factory owners to modify the load-shedding schedule and provide them extra electricity.
Some Grid System Operation workers provided the FIA officials records showing names of industrial units exempted from load-shedding schedule.
The FIA investigation team has also sought photocopies of all tenders and tender openings published in newspapers during 2012-13 and 2013-14, attested copies of comparative statements, recommendations of award of tenders, copies of purchase orders and evaluation reports of tenders.
Asset declaration forms have been distributed among the officers being investigated. Details of their banks accounts have also been sought.
Damage to equipment worth more than Rs1 billion at the 132KV grid station in Phool Nagar on March 16, 2014, due to negligence was not investigated on directions of the CEO.
The line losses too were made to appear less than they actually were. The losses in LESCO transmission were shown to be 0.4 per cent instead of 2.54 per cent as calculated by independent consultants.
The CEO had even asked customer services centres not to facilitate consumers in correcting in their bills, a report, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune has revealed.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 7th, 2014.