ISLAMABAD, 31 August — A huge scam of millions of rupees has been unearthed by National Accountability Bureau, Rawalpindi, which involved BT project officials of Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited, said an official announcement of NAB on Wednesday.
Several officials of the BT project team were arrested for their alleged involvement in the massive corruption in various financial transactions of the “build and transfer” project. Those arrested include Syed Akbar Hussain Jaffri, director BT Project, Gujranwala, Raja Arshad Ali, divisional engineer BT Project, Islamabad and Gohar Aman, divisional engineer BT Project, Peshawar.
NAB investigations reveal that these officials were allegedly involved in misappropriations and embezzlements of millions of rupees of government funds allocated for the project. The officials are also reported to have caused willful loss to the government to the tune of millions of rupees.
The Build and Transfer Project was started in 1998 by the PTCL when it awarded a contract to a foreign telecommunications firm for laying 266,000 telephone lines in the country, which was later enhanced to 305,000 lines.
The details revealed by a NAB official say $94 million contract was to be jointly financed by the foreign firm and the PTCL.
The foreign firm was to arrange loan of $34 million while PTCL was to provide an equivalent of $60 million in Pakistani currency as its equity in the project.
During investigations it was found that there was massive corruption by the officials of the project in the purchase of locally procured items. The officials were involved in making dubious invoices for locally purchased items worth 185 million rupees.
“The arrested persons violated official rules and procedures in the purchase of these items and made pecuniary gain.
No tenders were called upon by them and they allegedly made the purchases themselves or through their accomplices,” said the NAB announcement.
“They also allegedly attached fake quotations in certain cases to hide their crime.
The items purchased were bought at exorbitant prices and without adhering to the specifications of some of the technical equipment.” Further investigation are continuing into the alleged financial misappropriations of PTCL officials involved in the BT Project, said an NAB official.
