Sources have termed this case as an eye-opener for the Power Division, saying that the main culprit in this corruption case was enjoying the patronage of the management, which is substantiated from the fact that the main accused has not been placed under suspension despite his nomination in the FIR registered by FIA. A copy of the FIR is available with Business Recorder.
According to E&D rules of LESCO, they added, the said XEN should have been suspended after his name appeared in the FIR No. 32/2019 dated 19/09/2019. According to details, a resident of Chung, Multan Road, Lahore Muhammad Iqbal applied for an extension from 25 KVA to 50 KVA in July 2019 with Shahpur Division. On issuance of a Demand Notice (DN) worth Rs 496,000/-, he approached the XEN to reduce the amount of the notice.
He advised him to contact Line Superintendent (LS), Chung Sub-Division Azhar Abbas and asked to extend the load to 100 KVA instead of 50 KVA. The LS demanded bribery of Rs 225,000/- and the negotiations were settled against Rs 200,000/-. The LS told him that he has to share this amount with the XEN for the issuance of demand notice. Otherwise, he would have to wait for three to four months.
The applicant paid Rs 100,000/- to the LS as the first installment and the XEN issued a demand notice for Rs 425,000/-. Meanwhile, the applicant approached the FIA with a complaint that Muhammad Khalil XEN has demanded bribery through his LS to pass his case and issue a demand notice. The FIA raided and caught the LS red-handed on 19/09/2019 in the presence of Muhammad Atif Khan, Special Judicial Magistrate, Lahore at the time of payment of the second installment of Rs 100,000/-.
Later on, the LS confessed that he had received Rs 100,000/- as the first installment and handed over to the XEN while he was supposed to retain the balance Rs 100,000/-.
It is very much evident in the case that Muhammad Khalil, XEN Shahpur was the competent authority to approve the case of extension from 25KVA to 100KVA. Muhammad Iqbal, the applicant met Azhar Abbas, LS on the direction of Muhammad Khalil, XEN. But it is surprising that no action has been taken against Muhammad Khalil, XEN by LESCO management though he is the real culprit in the case.