Senate Panel seeks termination, FIA/NAB action in Rs. 1.2 billion ACR Bunting Conductor scam

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs has called for strict disciplinary action against officials from the National Grid Company (NGC), formerly NTDC, NESPAK, and the Engineering Development Board (EDB) for their alleged involvement in irregularities linked to the ACSR Bunting Conductor project, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Newzshews has reliably learnt.
During a recent meeting chaired by Senator Saif Ullah Abro, the Committee reviewed the Special Audit Request for the project. Officials briefed the Committee that a letter was issued to the Director General of Audit Power on June 2, 2025, and records were received by Deputy Director Audit Hamayun Ahsan on June 4, 2025. The final audit report will be shared with the Committee in due course.
In response to a question from the Chairman, it was revealed that NESPAK has yet to provide any information on the termination of its officers. The Chairman emphasized that NESPAK must comply with previous recommendations of the Committee.
The Committee recommended that the Power Division take immediate action against the project consultant and enforce disciplinary measures against NESPAK and NTDC officials within two days. It reiterated its earlier recommendation to terminate the officials involved.
The Committee was further informed that a letter was sent on June 2, 2025, in reference to directives issued by the Inquiry Committee, headed by GM Muhammad Mustafa. A follow-up reminder was issued on June 13, 2025, after the report remained pending. The Chairman accused Power Division officials of withholding the report, allegedly under instructions from the previous Secretary of Power Division.
He also proposed that members of the Inquiry Committee be granted honorariums for their work. Regarding a separate inquiry ordered by former Caretaker Federal Minister for Energy (Power Division) into tender ADB-401B-2022 Lot-IIA, the Committee was informed that while a letter and reminder were sent in early June 2025, NTDC failed to provide the required report.
The Chairman questioned how the former Minister, who also headed the Inquiry Committee, could comment conclusively during a Senate Standing Committee on Power meeting held in February 2024 without the report being finalized.
To pursue the matter, the Committee directed the Power Division to formally request a copy of the inquiry report from Mr. Muhammad Ali, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatization, who led the three-member Inquiry Committee. A copy of the request must be submitted to the Senate Committee.
In another development, regarding a fire incident at the EDB office, the Committee was informed that a related letter had been issued by the Ministry of Industries and Production on June 2, 2025. The case remains under review at the EDB.
The Chairman questioned how, despite PPRA regulations being inapplicable to ADB-funded projects, the EDB issued letters favoring a particular company in 2023. This came after the Senate Standing Committee on Power had already flagged suspected corruption in the matter.
The Committee directed the Power Division to send formal letters to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to initiate investigations against EDB officials involved in these irregularities.
On the issue of the Rs. 1.282 billions recovery from a firm qualified for the 765kV Dasu-Islamabad Transmission Line (Lot-IV), the Committee criticized NTDC’s independent inquiry process. It was highlighted that the bid evaluation documents excluded the said amount.
The Committee instructed the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to forward the matter to the Power Division and further recommend it to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for recovery. A copy of the correspondence must be shared with the Senate Committee.
After thorough discussion, the Committee decided to defer the agenda item for further deliberation at the next meeting.
In conclusion, the Committee reiterated its demand for immediate action and termination of NTDC and NESPAK officials involved in irregularities related to tender ADB-401B-2022 Lot-IIA. It also ordered the Power Division to request the missing inquiry report from Muhammad Ali and initiate legal action via FIA and NAB against EDB officials implicated in favoritism in the ACSR Bunting Conductor project.