- Senator Khattak points out financial crime in power project
- NAB official says power, law ministries responsible for delay, cost escalation
Sub-committee of Senate’s Standing Committee on Water and Power has directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to complete investigation within two months against billion rupees losses due to increase in the cost of the Nandipur power project and file criminal cases against all responsible.
The meeting of the sub-committee held here in the Parliament House on Monday under Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak with Senator Nisar Muhammad Khan and Senator Muhammad Daud Khan Achakzai as members. Besides NAB, officials of the Water and Power Ministry and GENCO were also present on the occasion.
The committee took up the matters related with huge losses to the national exchequer due to Nandipur power project. Senator Khattak said that the financial crime has been committed in the power project but like other white collar crime one cannot find solid evidence of corruption.
Perturbed over the absence of the officials of the Ministry of Law and Justice from the meeting despite sending notice, the sub-committee unanimously said that this committee could not proceed further without the words of the Law and Justice Ministry because the ministry was to brief on vetting and ratification process of the agreements of Nandipur power project and the delay caused in this regard.
Former law minister Babar Awan and former Water and Power secretary Shahid Rafi do not appear despite sending them notice of the meeting, it said. Senator Nauman Khattak said that Babar Awan and federal secretaries during the period from 2008 to 2012 needed to come to the committee and clarify their position.
Briefing the meeting about its findings, NAB official said that the Ministry of Water and Power and the Ministry of Law and Justice were responsible for delay in the completion of the Nandipur power project and for its eventual cost escalation. The official said that the power and finance ministries have not cooperated in calculation of the losses.
The NAB requested the Auditor General (AG)’s office for calculation of the losses. And, the AG office has communicated Rs 36 billion loss incurred to the national kitty due to delay in the execution of the power project, he said. The sub-committee also expressed concerns over delay in the inquiry being conducted by NAB, and criticised NAB officials for delay in finalising the inquiry report.
Senator Daud Achakzai said that the NAB was all set to close the inquiry as it has not investigated the matters of financial crimes committed in the power project. He said that the NAB was winding up the case of huge corruption. Senator Nauman Khattak said that NAB has to be rough against the responsible of huge losses and file criminal cases against all responsible.
He said that the NAB must submit a report in this regard to the standing committee, as the time period of this sub-committee has completed today so senators will request the committee chairman to give some more time to reach on a conclusion regarding billion rupees losses in the Nandipur power project. Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif already asked the NAB chairman to complete the investigation in the Nandipur scam.