ISLAMABAD: An audit of the accounts of Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) for 2017-18 has unearthed massive irregularities in the appointment on deputation basis of a director general (DG) in AEDB, it has been reliably learned.
A copy of the audit report available with Pakistan Today revealed misuse of authority, corruption worth millions by a Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officer, and irregularities found in AEDB in connection with the appointment of a director general for AEDB.
According to the report, Joudat Aziz, a BS-20 officer of PAS was posted against a vacant post of DG (Finance and Administration), AEDB in scale AES-11, stage-IV, on September 30, 2014. However, the audit report recommended that the overpaid amount should be recovered and such practices should be discouraged in the future.
The dubious posting of the officer in question also went against the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s (SCP) order regarding deputation. If the service of the officer was placed under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act of Pakistan, 1973, then there was no need for him to draw an allowance from AEDB. The pay of the officer should be re-fixed in light of the recommendations issued by Accountant General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), and the overpaid amount should be recovered and deposited into the government account, the report recommended.
AEDB in its 32nd board meeting held on November 18, 2014, approved that the officer would draw his pay in AES-11 stage-IV along with other terms and conditions permissible under AEDB Employees Service Regulation, which was notified vide office order No B/1/2/2010, dated January 15, 2015.
Further, the report observed that the terms and condition in AES-11 approved by the board should have been submitted to the Establishment Division for vetting. The action of the Ministry of Water and Power in this connection was against the standard terms and conditions of deputation of a civil servant issued by the Establishment Division, which was circulated vide O M No 1/13/87-R-I, dated December 3, 1990, in consultation with the Finance Division.
Furthermore, his appointment in AES-11 was made without first creating or upgrading a post in AES-11, whereas, per AEDB organogram approved by the board in its 13th board meeting, the posts of DGs were only available in AES-10. Recommendations shared by AGPR were not provided for the audit, which would have otherwise helped the auditors calculate the exact number of undue benefits granted to the above-mentioned officer.
Moreover, the audit report mentioned that deputation of an officer without fulfilling the criteria was irregular and unauthorised.
The management replied that the service of Joudat Aziz was requisitioned by AEDB against the position of DG (F&A) under Section-10 of the Civil Servants Act of Pakistan, 1973 because there was an acute shortage of DGs in AES-11 and the official business was suffering.
The service of the officer was placed in AEDB under Section-10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973, and not under standard terms and conditions of deputation vide the Establishment Division’s notification No PF (738)/E-5 (PAS), dated September 25, 2014, and subsequently, the Ministry of Water and Power’s notification, dated October 27, 2014, in AES-11 (stage-IV), the case was further presented in the 32nd AEDB board meeting held on November 18th, 2014, for ratification.
It is pertinent to mention that the auditor general initiated an investigation after finding a complaint regarding alleged corruption, corrupt practices, misuse of authority and fraud committed by Joudat Ayaz. It was also revealed that he was illegally posted on deputation at AEDB, Ministry of Water and Power by the Establishment Division, and illegally elevated to a post where he received a monthly salary of Rs600,000 from the power ministry.
Per AEDB organogram, solar, wind and biomass projects have to be supervised by a director general (Power Projects), who in this case is Dr Basharat Hasan, a PhD from England in the field of alternative energy.