ISLAMABAD: (July 14, 2022). The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched investigations into a case of fraudulent payment of $ 43 million (Rs 8.6 billion approximately) by Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) to M/s SPEC Energy, a contractor for GFP-III project.
A first information report (FIR) lodged with FIA by Shahji Siraj , a senior PPL employee, revealed that PPL managing director, Wamiq Bukhari and a group of his over one dozen subordinates made fraudulent payment to M/s SPEC Energy against a job of GPF-III without its completion.
The PPL action based apparently on bad intention caused huge loss to the national exchequer on two counts. First, the national exchequer lost Rs 86 billion due to a fraud committed by a PPL gang in connivance with M/s SPEC Energy ,a private contractor having shady credentials.
Shaji Siraj, the complainant, has provided a long list of proofs which confirmed that Wamiq Bukhari, PPL former managing director, and his lik-eminded group of senior officials of PPL gave unlawful favour in award of contract of $ 86 million to M/s SPEC Energy in violation of the procurement rules and later made it a fraudulent payment of $ 43 million (Rs 86 billion approx.) when the contractor had not done the job as per tender’s conditions .
On the basis of the record made available by the complainant, FIA team has registered an FIR against PPL former managing director, Wamiq Bukahri, Abid Ashfaque Malick , senior managing production (SMP), Jamil Akhtar manager production , Mohammad Rafiq GM sui, Hayat Ahmad GME (F) 5, Fareed Siddiqi DMD, Saqib Ahmad MCP, Mubashir Siddiqui manager, Syed Ehtasham Ahmad GMF, Khalid Raza GM, (HGS/M), Nauman Tirmizi (SMCP), Farooq Maniar GMP, Shahbaz Ahmad GMP, , Zafar Ikram Shaikh director M.s SPEC Energy and others.
M/s SPEC Energy and its director Zafar Ikram Shaikh used his fraudulent tricks to get a contract of worth $ 86 million of PPL and them made its top management a party to his fraud and subsequently siphoned off $ 43 million without completing the phase of the project against which the payment was made, causing a huge loss or Rs 8.6 billion to the national exchequer in just one project.
FIA is investigating the case and initiating action against the corrupt gang of PPL and Zafar Shaikh of M/s SPEC Energy. The FIA action would result in recovery of looted money from M/s SPEC Energy, besides black- listing it from barring it to get any project in Pakistan’s oil and gas sector in Pakistan.
FIA should also widen the scope of its investigations against M/s SPEC Energy and dig out how many fraud cases were still unearthed against this company.
According to NEWSMAN sources, Wamiq Bukhari former MD PPL and Zafar Ikram Shaikh director M/s SPEC Energy are two, main characters of the fraud and both of them have already fled from Pakistan. Their arrest is essential to take investigations in the case to its logical conclusion and fix all those who were involved in this mega corruption.
Pakistan lost huge sum of $ 43 million in this case as result of connivance between corrupt gang of PPL FIA should investigate the matter without taking into account influence of any powerful quarter. It should also approach to the Interpol for arrest of accused former managing director of PPL, Wamiq Bukhari and Zafar Ikram Shaikh and bring them before the court of law for awarding exemplary punishment.
The two accused, Abid Ashfaque Malick and Farooq Maniar who are in FIA custody have a clean record and they might have signed the document for award of contract to M/s SPEC Energy under pressure of then PPL managing director , Wamiq Bukhari. FIA investigators should check past history of these two PPL officials before taking any action against them.
