Cracking down: PIA official ‘who stole millions’ arrested
Five-member team to streamline procurement for airline.
ISLAMABAD:
An official allegedly involved in the embezzlement of millions of rupees has been arrested, with the assistance of the top management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The official worked within the Procurement and Logistics department.
A statement issued by the prime minister’s office said the issue was brought to the notice of the management and law enforcement agencies subsequently arrested Deputy General Manager Procurement and Logistics Department Shahid Ejaz. He is accused of having embezzled millions of rupees during the procurement of spare parts for different aircraft.
The Procurement and Logistics department procures spare parts worth billions of rupees annually as the procurement volume stood at Rs6.74 billion in 2013.
Recently, on the directions of the Special Assistant to PM Shujaat Azeem, 338 officials and officers of PIA who forged their educational degrees were removed from service.
On Azeem’s request, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt has released five officers to streamline the process of procurement and logistics in PIA. The team, brought in from the PAF, will be headed by an air commodore with experience in logistics, material management and inventory control. The team has previously managed the F-16 Logistics Management System and will implement automated real time inventory management in PIA.
Azeem has directed PIA management that spare parts shall be procured on merit with transparency and only through Original Equipment Manufacturers. Furthermore, enterprise resource planning is being implemented all across the organisation including the procurement function.
At the same time, the Technical Procurement will be separated from the overall logistics setup and attached to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) setup. The move will put an end to past practices where aircraft spare parts were procured at higher rates and through fake companies.
Azeem has also taken notice of the fact that the Procurement and Logistics Department purchased Ground Power Units many years ago, which remain unused.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.
An official allegedly involved in the embezzlement of millions of rupees has been arrested, with the assistance of the top management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The official worked within the Procurement and Logistics department.
A statement issued by the prime minister’s office said the issue was brought to the notice of the management and law enforcement agencies subsequently arrested Deputy General Manager Procurement and Logistics Department Shahid Ejaz. He is accused of having embezzled millions of rupees during the procurement of spare parts for different aircraft.
The Procurement and Logistics department procures spare parts worth billions of rupees annually as the procurement volume stood at Rs6.74 billion in 2013.
Recently, on the directions of the Special Assistant to PM Shujaat Azeem, 338 officials and officers of PIA who forged their educational degrees were removed from service.
On Azeem’s request, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt has released five officers to streamline the process of procurement and logistics in PIA. The team, brought in from the PAF, will be headed by an air commodore with experience in logistics, material management and inventory control. The team has previously managed the F-16 Logistics Management System and will implement automated real time inventory management in PIA.
Azeem has directed PIA management that spare parts shall be procured on merit with transparency and only through Original Equipment Manufacturers. Furthermore, enterprise resource planning is being implemented all across the organisation including the procurement function.
At the same time, the Technical Procurement will be separated from the overall logistics setup and attached to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) setup. The move will put an end to past practices where aircraft spare parts were procured at higher rates and through fake companies.
Azeem has also taken notice of the fact that the Procurement and Logistics Department purchased Ground Power Units many years ago, which remain unused.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2014.