FIA arrests senior PSO general manager

According to reports, an enquiry found Zubairi had misappropriated Rs6.2 million

The Federal Investigation Agency arrested on Tuesday Senior General Manager Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Naveed Alam Zubairi  from his office in Saddar, Karachi, over misappropriation of funds.

According to reports, an inquiry found Zubairi had misappropriated Rs6.2 million through fraudulent tendering and had received kickbacks through bank transactions, causing losses to the government exchequer.

Former PSO MD cleared of hefty pay accusation

Zubairi was deputed as Asia Petroleum Limited (APL) Managing Director, a sister concern of PSO from 2002 to 2009. During an internal audit, it transpired that Zubairi was involved in corrupt practices, according to sources.

Earlier, a three-member committee, constituted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources, had suggested in its report that no excessive payments were made to the former acting managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and withholding his pay and perks would not be appropriate. Being a senior officer of PSO, Amjad Parvaiz Janjua was given the slot of acting managing director in July 2013 to look after the affairs of the company. However, he was suspended in the wake of acute petrol shortages in Punjab in January this year and since then, his salary has not been released on charges of higher-than-required pay.