Govt to make public power sector graft report

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has decided to make public a damning report regarding corruption in the power sector, announced Planning Minister Asad Umar, who pledged a commission of inquiry will be formed to investigate the matter within 90 days.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Umar said an “independent commission of inquiry” will be constituted to “investigate the issue pertaining to Independent Power Producers (IPPS)”, Radio Pakistan reported.

The minister added that any person found involved in irregularities and violating the law would be taken to task, but those who invested in the power sector to generate electricity in Pakistan without breaking any laws would be protected.

The decision to release the report to the public comes days after an inquiry committee formed to investigate the alleged minting of billions of rupees by IPPs found that the power sector is incurring a loss of a billion rupees per day, according to Geo News. The committee was formed on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“Government institutions are also involved in the corruption,” alleged Umar, citing the findings. He vowed that the federal government would not let anyone who broke the law off the hook.

Of the investigation, Umar said the commission will carry out “a detailed investigation using forensics to come to its findings”. He also said ensuring transparency in governance is the government’s “number one priority”.

In its report, the committee said Pakistanis were being provided electricity at the most expensive rate in the region. It also claimed that private companies provided false oil statistics to secure better tariffs.

The power generating companies claimed they had used more oil to produce electricity when they had, in fact, made use of less oil. As per the inquiry committee’s findings, these companies earned billions over the past nine years because of the inflated figures they showed. By the same proportion, these companies will earn billions more in the future, said the inquiry committee.

In its recommendations, the inquiry committee called on the government to recover additional payments made to private power companies and said profit to these power companies should be paid in rupees instead of dollars.

Meanwhile, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan stated the federal cabinet approved the decision made by the Cabinet Committee for Energy, which Asad Umar chairs, on April 20. She added that the cabinet also approved the amendments in the Ogra Ordinance. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also made public a report on the sugar and wheat crises several weeks ago.