The Supreme Court has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe 18 transactions of the Employees’ Old Age Benefits Institute (EOBI).
During proceedings of the EOBI multibillion scam case, the apex court directed the FIA to complete the probe and submit its reply with 10 days.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took suo motu notice of the EOBI scam case on Saturday and issued notices to the attorney general of Pakistan, Ministry of Human Resource Development secretary, FIA DG, and the former and incumbent EOBI chairmen.
The notice was taken after a note from the SC registrar that contained details of a television programme regarding corruption in the EOBI during the last three years.
Ministry of Human Resource Development Secretary Abdul Khaliq on Monday presented a preliminary report in the Supreme Court stating that the chairman of the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) had purchased property worth Rs 34 billion during his tenure.
The secretary presented the report during the hearing of the apex court’s suo motu notice over reports that the EOBI had caused a loss of Rs 40 billion to the exchequer by investing huge amounts in private sector projects without approval of its board of trustees (BoT).
Upon presenting the report, Secretary Khaliq added that no one but the institution’s chairman had the authority to make such transactions. The purchase had allegedly been made by Zafar Iqbal Gondal, the former chairman of the EOBI.
During the hearing, the chief justice said no one had the right to misappropriate the money that belonged to workers, adding that the bench would scrutinise what law permitted these investments.
