Rs32m fraud unearthed at PSO
Pakistan State Oil employee suspected of misappropriating pre-paid cards issued by the company.
KARACHI:
A scam amounting to Rs32 million has been uncovered at the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), the country’s biggest oil marketing company.
“A first information report was registered against one accused on Friday,” SHO Frere police station Shehzada Saleem confirmed to The Express Tribune.
A company official revealed that the man, who was employed on contract as an assistant in the company’s cards department, was suspected of misappropriating pre-paid cards issued by the company.
Giving details, the official said “the credit control department, which monitors the activation of pre-paid cards, noticed that cards were being activated without being delivered to their intended destinations. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that all the missing cards were being activated from the same terminal inside the office.”
The official asserted that evidence against the accused has also been handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), adding that the arrest has taken place from the company’s head office in Karachi.
The company has stopped issuing pre-paid cards after suffering losses due to discrepancies in their issuance and activation.
“We arrested the accused yesterday (Monday) and obtained remand from the judicial magistrate south,” an official at the FIA Corporate Crime Circle confirmed. He added that “investigations are currently under way but so far the accused has not shared much information with investigators.”
The accused along with another PSO employee from the same department was booked on similar charges back in December 2009. However, both the accused rejoined the company after the prosecution failed to bring substantial charges against them.
Confirming the arrest and charges filed against the accused, a PSO official spokesperson asserted that “this time we have also submitted evidence to FIA that will help them bring charges.”
The official also confirmed that the company has charged the man with swindling Rs32 million through misappropriations in the company’s pre-paid cards scheme. “Management is keen on cleaning up the organisation and making it transparent. Anyone that is found responsible for any deviations shall be held accountable,” added the spokesperson.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.
A scam amounting to Rs32 million has been uncovered at the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), the country’s biggest oil marketing company.
“A first information report was registered against one accused on Friday,” SHO Frere police station Shehzada Saleem confirmed to The Express Tribune.
A company official revealed that the man, who was employed on contract as an assistant in the company’s cards department, was suspected of misappropriating pre-paid cards issued by the company.
Giving details, the official said “the credit control department, which monitors the activation of pre-paid cards, noticed that cards were being activated without being delivered to their intended destinations. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that all the missing cards were being activated from the same terminal inside the office.”
The official asserted that evidence against the accused has also been handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), adding that the arrest has taken place from the company’s head office in Karachi.
The company has stopped issuing pre-paid cards after suffering losses due to discrepancies in their issuance and activation.
“We arrested the accused yesterday (Monday) and obtained remand from the judicial magistrate south,” an official at the FIA Corporate Crime Circle confirmed. He added that “investigations are currently under way but so far the accused has not shared much information with investigators.”
The accused along with another PSO employee from the same department was booked on similar charges back in December 2009. However, both the accused rejoined the company after the prosecution failed to bring substantial charges against them.
Confirming the arrest and charges filed against the accused, a PSO official spokesperson asserted that “this time we have also submitted evidence to FIA that will help them bring charges.”
The official also confirmed that the company has charged the man with swindling Rs32 million through misappropriations in the company’s pre-paid cards scheme. “Management is keen on cleaning up the organisation and making it transparent. Anyone that is found responsible for any deviations shall be held accountable,” added the spokesperson.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 5th, 2011.