By Nadir Khan
Karachi: Two former PIA employees sentenced 40,000 US dollar fine for irregularities in the purchase of parts for PIA, while non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued for the absconded former DG PIA Saleem Syani.
The Special Judge Anti-Corruption Central, in a case of FIA Corporate Crime Circle Karachi, has accused Deputy General Manager PIA Shahid Ijaz and Abdul Wahab Arain, who are involved in the irregularities in the purchase of spare parts of PIA aircraft, and sentenced them to imprisonment with a fine of 40 thousand US dollars. in addition, a non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued for former DG Saleem Sayani, who fled abroad after the case.
The inquiry initiated by the FIA Corporate Crime Circle Karachi between 2010 and 2013 into the procurement of parts for PIA aircraft was converted into Charge No. 8/14 in 2014 by the then-investigating officer Inspector Muhammad Iqbal.
During the investigation of this case, the name of an American firm was used for the purchase of the parts of the Boeing aircraft. Abdul Wahab Arain, who was recruited on daily wages as a clerk in PIA, with the support of senior PIA and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) officers started supplying of aircraft parts through a local company.
During the investigation, the investigating officer Muhammad Iqbal of FIA found strong evidances that a part of worth $ 95,000 was sold to the national carries at $ 230,000.
The investifgation also revealed that the e-mail sent by PIA to the American firm was being received to the the local company’s email and on receiving the order the local company was apparently sending ariparts’ orders to the American firm. The local company was purchasing same parts from the American Company at lowers rates and later sold to PIA at double the price, causing millions of rupee loss to the national exchequer.
The then DG PIA Saleem Sayani was also among the accused in this case but after the completion of the term in People’s Party governemnt in 2013, he had gone abroad.
Finally on On Wednesday, Special Judge Anti-Corruption Central I , Dr. Shabana Waheed, while pronouncing the judgment of the case after 8 years, imposed a fine of 40 thousand US dollars on the accused, while the non-bailable warrant of former DG Saleem Sayani has also been issued.
