In the wake of staggering corruption revelations within the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Lahore has taken swift action, apprehending the project director of LESCO Construction Circle and initiating legal proceedings against 39 senior officers implicated in the scandal.
The accused LESCO officers stand accused of authorizing the release of goods valued at over Rs. 340 million from the store, surpassing the sanctioned amount of Rs. 190 million allocated for eleven distinct projects. Among those implicated are a project director, 11 Executive Engineers (XENs), 13 Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs), 9 line superintendents, and several accounts officers.
An initial allocation of Rs. 190 million had been earmarked for the initiation of work on the 11 projects, with stipulations dictating that any alterations in project cost or completion timeframe necessitated prior approval from the competent authority for additional material or funds.
Per the FIR, the Construction Circle LESCO project director initiated work on the aforementioned projects. However, despite the commencement of work and the intended installation of equipment at the project sites, a significant portion mysteriously vanished, allegedly orchestrated by the aforementioned officers.
Following tips from informed sources, the FIA launched a comprehensive investigation. Upon site visits, the implicated officials failed to substantiate the utilization of the equipment as claimed. Instead, the site inspections unveiled a trail of incomplete projects.
While the officers maintained assertions of project completion, FIA scrutiny found them culpable of malfeasance. Subsequently, a case was registered, and the project director was promptly detained.
The FIA’s investigation uncovered a misuse of powers leading to the release of goods valued at over Rs. 110 million. From line superintendents to various LESCO personnel, the probe unearthed a web of corruption spanning various echelons of the organization.
According to FIA investigators, payments to LESCO’s field stores and contractors were disbursed prematurely, precipitating undue project delays and exorbitant cost escalations. Muhammad Farooq, the Project Director of Construction, has been apprehended by the FIA.
The FIR includes the names of XENs such as Faisal Afridi, Ahmed Fawad, and Asadullah Butt, alongside SDOs including Aamir Raza and Tafsir Ahmed, among others. Line superintendents and accountants also stand accused of involvement in irregularities related to materials and payments.
With the project director in custody and a four-day remand secured, the FIA continues its efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects through targeted raids.
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