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  • Oct 26th, 2010
  • Comments Off on Alleged corruption in SNGPL: Supreme Court asks Ministry to conduct inquiry
The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) has taken serious notice of alleged corruption in Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) and ordered the Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry to conduct an inquiry into the reports of corruption and compliance and report within 15 days.

Sources said on Monday that on receiving of the court order, the matter was discussed by the senior officials of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources for hours to appoint an official committee to hold inquiry into the alleged corruption case in SNGPL so that its report could be submitted before the SC within stipulated period of two weeks.

"We have received the SC order today (Monday) to hold inquiry into the alleged corruption in SNGPL and referred the case to Petroleum Minister, Syed Naveed Qamar, to appoint a committee for immediate action into the case as per direction of the SC", a senior official of the Petroleum Ministry said.

The official expressed strong hope that the committee to probe alleged corruption in SNGPL would be formed by the competent authority in a couple of days and the job would be completed on top priority to submit the report before the apex court.

Mono Construction and General Order Supplier, a private sector company, had filed a complaint with SC wherein it was claimed that corruption in SNGPL was rampant and the highest management was directly involved in it. In the complaint it was also claimed that rising loss in gas in SNGPL and unprecedented cases of theft in the recent years were nothing less than rising culture of corruption in SNGPL and linked it with corruption culture in this important public sector gas company.

The complainant added that if corruption in SNGPL went on unchecked it can destroy the future of this key public sector gas company and cause irreparable loss the entity and so the national kitty. A division bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhary, after hearing the case, directed the Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry to hold the inquiry into the matter and submit the report into the case in two weeks.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2010


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