PM forms fact-finding panel to probe allegations related to PPRA

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a fact-finding committee to probe multiple allegations against employees of PPRA, including payment of honorarium out of the World Bank funded project, EPADS (E-Pak Acquisition & Disposal System).

Following The News story published on the subject on Saturday, the PM has set up a probe committee under Chairman Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission (PMIC) Brig (R) Muzaffar Ali Ranjha. Members of the fact-finding committee include Member PMIC, Special Secretary Commerce Division, Additional Secretary Cabinet Division, Additional Secretary Finance Division and Director Legal PPRA. The committee can co-opt any other member to do the task assigned.

Terms of reference of the committee include; i) To probe all aspects of allegations/complaints regarding embezzlement, misuse of authority and corruption in PPRA. ii) Inquire about the honorarium given during FY2020-21 to 2023-24 to employees of PPRA deputed on various assignments related with project operations. According to the PM Office notification, the Cabinet Division shall provide secretariat support to the committee and the committee shall submit its findings and recommendations within one week for the perusal of prime minister.

Referring to The News story, the MD PPRA wrote a letter to the PM Office on Saturday informing the PM that a fact-finding committee has already been constituted by the MD PPRA to probe all the allegations. The PM Office, however, still decided to get the matter probed from the PMIC.

The News story “Cabinet Division takes notice of honoraria paid to PPRA officials from WB loan” had disclosed that millions of rupees from a World Bank loan have been paid by PPRA as honoraria to its officials.

The story said that PPRA was presently under focus of the PM’s Office and the Cabinet Division for not only allegedly misusing the World Bank loan to serve its own officials but also faces serious allegations of corruption against its officials in procurement cases causing loss of billions of rupees to public kitty and committing fraud, tampering, bogus documentation, blackmailing, etc.

These allegations, however, have not yet been investigated. It was reported by this newspaper that that there are two sets of officials in PPRA. One, those who received honoraria, and second, who did not receive honoraria. This fight between these two groups, it is said, had resulted in approaching the PM’s Office with allegations of serious level against each other.

In its communication to the PM’s Office on Saturday, the MD PPRA said that the project EPADS was launched with the financial assistance of the World Bank as part of one of the six pillars of the Public Financial Management Reform Strategy (2017-2028). Total cost of the project is Rs12.5 billion. Expenditures till date are Rs450 million, due payments are Rs550 million, total expected cost is Rs1 billion and expected saving is Rs11.5 billion. The PM Office was told that during the financial year 2020-21 to 2023-24, an amount of Rs74.8 million was disbursed on payment of honorarium to employees of PPRA deputed on various assignments related with project operations. The PPRA employees were reportedly deputed on project assignments keeping in view shortage of staff for the project. It is said that seven project employees were working out of 24 sanctioned strength.