NAB arrests another official in clean drinking water scam

PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday arrested another Chief Executive Officer of M/S Ideal Hydrotech System, Abdul Moid Faruki for his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of funds in “Clean Drinking Water for All” Project.

As per the official communiqué, the bureau claimed that the “Clean Drinking Water for All (CDWA)” project was started across the country in April 2006 with the aim to install Water Filtration Plants in each Union Council of the country.

“The bidding process, including pre-qualification and selection of contractors of the Clean Drinking Water for All (CDWA) Project was carried out by the Ministry of Industries, Production and Special Initiatives at the federal level. Gross violations of rules and regulations have been committed in the award of contracts across the country to various contractors rendering the project into a huge scam,” the anti-graft body claimed.

It said that the contract of the project was awarded to accused Abdul Moid Faruki, CEO M/S Ideal Hydrotech System, in November 2007 for installation of 1,159 water filtration plants.

The NAB claimed that the accused Abdul Moid Faruki in connivance with officials of Local Government Department KP provided fake bank guarantee worth Rs 594 million on the basis of which huge amounts were released by Local Government Department KP.

Due to the provision of fake bank guarantee, it said the project was badly affected and the work was not executed as per the contract agreement which resulted in heavy loss to the National Exchequer and masses were deprived of availability of clean drinking water.

Earlier, the NAB KP arrested accused Muhammad Ramzan Sheikh, CEO M/S Ideal Hydrotech System and Asghar Khan, chief engineer, local government in the same case. An official of the NAB said that the accused will be produced before the accountability court Peshawar today for obtaining his physical remand. It said that more arrests were likely in the Clean Drinking Water for All project.