ISLAMABAD - AHMAD AHMADANI - Belatedly acting upon the orders of the Supreme Court, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday finally swung into action when it arrested the Member Gas Mansoor Muzaffar for his alleged involvement in corruption running into multi-billion rupees in several cases of Ogra.
Following the 24 hours deadline given by the SC on Tuesday to implement its orders, the NAB officials have finally succeeded in arresting member gas from his office while ex-Chairman (Ogra) Tauqeer Saddiq, Member Finance Mir Kamal Marri and their cronies operating in Ogra managed to disappear from the scene and resultantly NAB failed to arrest them.
Sources further stated that though NAB had raided some places to arrest the remaining culprits allegedly involved in corruption of Rs 80 billion yet the government till the filing of this report was indecisive to send Member Finance and Member Gas (Ogra) on forced leave or to remove them from their respective jobs except Tauqeer Saddiq. ‘So far both members are working on responsible slots and looking after the affairs of the regulatory authority and gas consumers as neither the government nor the Cabinet Division (CD) even SC had not given any direction to stop them to see the matters of the Ogra’, said Vice Chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) Sabir Hussain while talking to this scribe.
It is to be noted here that NAB inquiry report, pertaining to corruption of Rs 80 billion, made available with The Nation also revealed that this heavy corruption has cost the people of Pakistan additional burden as they have and even are bearing the heavy brunt of skyrocketing increase in gas prices. According to the inquiry report, Dewan Petroleum Limited (DPL) got benefits with increased wellhead gas price, similarly illegal stay orders issued against gas theft cases, CNG stations were relocated which had resulted in huge increase in line losses of both gas distributing companies (SNGPL and SSGCL).
Besides, sources were of the view that despite specific instructions by the honourable court to proceed in accordance with the inquiry report, the accountability bureau supposed to ensure accountability after passing long four months has now arrested only one alleged culprit Mansoor Muzaffar Member Gas Ogra.
Succumbing to the pressure from ruling party, NAB found reluctant, even remained not willing, to take any further severe action against the alleged culprits while the entire system of governance of the country is allegedly sinking in corruption.
However, Additional Director (NAB) Zaffar Iqbal when contacted said that NAB inquiry report comprising 700 pages submitted to the SC on 12-1-2012 about the cases in which it was established that Rs 80 billion worth high profile corruption took place in connivance with the top guns of Ogra.
The accountability bureau while conducting an inquiry in this regard had gathered necessary information and relevant material and further found misuse of authority, irregular appointments and exaggerated salaries of the alleged officials allegedly involve in heavy corruption cases.
He also told that this time a detailed investigation from the bureau would be conducted to prove the alleged charges levelled by the bureau and later the findings would be submitted to SC.
Over a question, the NAB official declared that NAB would not only recover the amount that incurred losses to national kitty but would also get registered criminal cases against the officials.
It is also worth mentioning that Daily The Nation on May 14th, 2012 published a news item titled as ‘Disputed identity’ men continue to carry Ogra’s lucrative slots.