Court Convicts Officers for Manipulating Audit Findings
A special court has sentenced five Islamabad Electric Supply Company officials to 17 years of rigorous imprisonment each in a major corruption case involving an attempt to influence official audit findings.
Special Judge Central Rawalpindi Abdur Rehman Muhammad Arif announced the verdict on Saturday after completing proceedings in the case.
The convicted individuals were identified as Zeeshan Ali Akbar, Nazar Hussain, Ishtiaq Ahmad, Jahangir Ahmad and Saqib Zaheer.
The prosecution accused the officials of arranging and exchanging millions of rupees in bribes to secure favourable findings in an audit covering IESCO operations between 2019 and 2024.
The court found the five officers guilty after reviewing evidence collected by the Federal Investigation Agency’s Anti-Corruption Circle and hearing arguments from the prosecution and defence.
The sentences represent one of the most significant recent convictions involving officials connected to a public electricity distribution company.
FIA Arrested Suspects During 2024 Operation
The case began in August 2024 when an FIA team arrested the five officials during an operation near Gujar Khan.
Two of the convicted individuals were members of an audit team. The remaining three worked in divisional accounts positions connected to IESCO’s field operations.
The audit officers had been assigned to examine the company’s Jhelum operation circle and its transformer workshop and related offices in Islamabad.
Investigators alleged that account officials collected money from field employees and transferred it to members of the audit team. The payment was allegedly intended to remove or weaken serious objections from the final audit report.
The FIA intercepted the suspects while the alleged exchange was taking place. Authorities reported recovering more than Rs14 million during the operation, although early reports published different totals for the seized amount.
An official Associated Press of Pakistan report said Rs14.75 million was recovered. Another detailed account based on the FIR reported a seizure of Rs10.475 million from bags found inside a vehicle.
The differences in the early reported totals may reflect additional recoveries or varying accounts issued during the initial investigation. The latest court report described the overall recovery as exceeding Rs14 million.
Money Allegedly Collected to Secure Favourable Report
According to investigators, the audit covered financial and administrative activity from 2019 until 2024.
The prosecution’s case was that IESCO accounts officials feared serious objections could appear in the audit report. They allegedly collected money from personnel posted in different field offices and offered it to the audit officials.
The payment was intended to secure relief from audit objections and produce findings favourable to the officers and departments under examination.
Earlier reports stated that the audit involved IESCO’s Jhelum Circle and the Regional Manager Transformer Workshop in Islamabad.
The FIA said the suspects were caught after the alleged bribe money was handed over and placed inside a vehicle.
Following the arrests, the agency registered a criminal case under provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Investigators then submitted the evidence for prosecution before the special court.
Verdict Sends Strong Warning Against Public-Sector Corruption
After completing the trial, the court imposed 17 years of rigorous imprisonment on each of the five convicted officers.
Rigorous imprisonment requires convicted individuals to perform labour in accordance with prison regulations while serving their sentences.
The judgment is expected to strengthen calls for greater transparency in audits conducted across Pakistan’s state-owned institutions and electricity distribution companies.
Official audits are intended to identify financial irregularities, violations of procedures and misuse of public resources. Attempts to influence such reports can prevent authorities from detecting losses and holding responsible officials accountable.
The conviction also highlights the importance of independent audit teams and stronger oversight of interactions between auditors and departments under examination.
The convicted officers retain the legal right to challenge the decision before a higher court. Unless the judgment is suspended or overturned on appeal, they will serve the sentences announced by the special judge.
