04 March 2005	Friday	22 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, March 3: An executive engineer of the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation was sentenced to suffer a three-year term in a corruption case by an accountability court.

Judge Parkash Lal Ambwani of the AC-4 also imposed a fine of Rs300,000 on Ashfaq Ahmed Baloch, who would have to undgergo an additional one-year term in case of default on the payment.

The judge, however, acquitted accused Akhtar Hassan Ansari an Abdul Rahim Samoo, former general manager and former chief engineer of the KESC, respectively, as the prosecution could not prove its case against them.

Earlier on October 25, 2003, the then judge of the AC-4, Jawaid Alam, had ordered the release of two contractors of the Korangi Fish Harbour Authority after the chairman of the National Accountability Beauru accepted their plea for bargain in a corruption reference, involving a loss of over Rs24 million to the national exchequer.

The contractors - Sadiq Ali and Sham Lal Lasi - and three former KESC high officials - Akhtar Hassan Ansari, former general maganger, transmission and distribution, KESC, Abdul Rahim Samoo, former chief engineer, Asfaq Ahmed Baloch, executive engineer - were booked in the case.

The two contractors were ordered to be released subject to furnishing a surety for the payment of Rs12,060,000 and P.R. Bonds in an equal amount. According to the prosecution, a scheme for providing additional power load of 3 megawatts to the Korangi Fisheries Harbour Authority was approved by the board of directors and managing director of the KESC on Sept 2, 1995

The accused KESC officials allegedly with the connivance of the then manager (engineering) of KFHA, Hameedullah (now deceased), and the accused contractors granted permission on Nov 15, 1995 to the KFHA to carry out the execution of the work through their own contractors without taking into consideration the conditions of the approval.

The KFHA awarded contract to Decent Electronic Services of Sadiq and Sham Lal, who allegedly did not carry out the work as per the specifications. Consequently, a fault erupted in the project within 20 days of its energization. The contractors were charged for carrying out sub-standard work and receiving huge amounts of money against the fake supplies and works.