$753m loss to national kitty: NAB ‘requests’ ex-Wapda chairman to appear again

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore, on Thursday again 'requested' former Wapda chairman Lt-Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain to appear for complaint verification process over alleged irregularities in the Tarbela Hydropower Project-IV, which allegedly caused a loss of $753 million to the national kitty.

Previously, Muzammil had been asked to appear on June 6. However, instead of appearing before the bureau, he submitted a reply through his legal team.

The NAB, while considering the reply of Muzammil insufficient, decided to summon him again in person. A second call-up notice, a copy of which is available with The News, told Muzammil that his reply needed further deliberations with reference to the allegations levelled against him. “Therefore, you are once again requested to appear in person to record your version before Deputy Director Complaint Verification Qudsia Firdous on June 20 at 3pm,” the notice read.

This call-up notice is unique in nature as it has “requested” Muzammil to appear before the bureau as compared to NAB routine notices in which words like "summoned, asked and directed" are used to call persons in question. Muzammil had resigned from his office in May 2022. In August 2021, he had been given an extension for five years. The NAB had served the first notice on Muzammil over a complaint that he caused losses of $753 million to the national kitty due to irregularities in the Tarbela Hydropower Project IV.

As per the NAB notice, Muzammil was intimated that the complaint verification was under process on the allegations of misuse of authority and misappropriation of government funds. The bureau directed Muzammil to come along with documents of the hydropower project. He was also directed to bring complete details of funding process, contract evaluation along with PC-1 and subsequent revisions in PC-1 along with administrative approvals and technical sanctions from the competent authority. The NAB directed him to bring a competition certificate verified by the competent authority and complete details of the installation/commencement of the project.

As per sources, the complainant in his complaint against Muzammil alleged that he abused his power in his tenure as Wapda chairman, which caused losses of billions. It was also alleged that Muzammil made wrong payments to contractors. The Tarbela Hydropower Project IV was nearing completion but had the highest per unit construction cost in the country, the complainant alleged.