PIA’s German ex-boss booked for illegal appointment
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KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday registered a case against two foreigners for allegedly being involved in an illegal appointment made in the Pakistan International Airlines which caused financial losses to the exchequer.
“The FIA Corporate Crime Circle has registered an FIR against German national Bernd Hildenbrand, a former acting CEO of PIA, for allegedly abusing his powers and illegally appointing Austrian national Helmut Bechhofner as a consultant to CEO in October 2016,” said deputy director, FIA, CCC, Karachi, Abdur Rauf.
“The illegal appointment of Austrian national, Helmut Bechhofner caused a loss of $50,203 (equivalent to Rs5,256,254) to national exchequer,” says a press release. “It has been established that the accused German national by abusing his official position as acting CEO of PIA, unlawfully appointed the accused Austrian national as consultant in the PIA without the approval of competent authority.”
The case was registered under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 read with Sections 109 (abetment) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2020
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Comments (36) Closed
Dec 01, 2020 08:57am
Everyone in PIA is a scamster. The company culture makes the most honest man a crook. Keep it up.
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Dec 01, 2020 09:04am
National carrier head is a foreigner? Great.
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Dec 01, 2020 09:05am
Story of Pakistan: Get foreign CEO or Coach. Later fire him for incompetence of locals.
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Dec 01, 2020 09:06am
When PIA was one of the best airlines in the world , did it have a foreign manager?
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Dec 01, 2020 09:22am
When will you book those who were the reason of losses for millions of dollars and still sitting close to pti.how long will you blame others for your own wrong doings.
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Dec 01, 2020 09:24am
A CEO of a company, even acting one can't hire an employee in Pakistan? I wonder what is illegal about it?
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Dec 01, 2020 09:30am
$50k really? Come on..
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Dec 01, 2020 09:42am
Appoint a foreigner as CEO but don't give him any authority even to appoint a $50k consultant. PIA should be privatized, the CEO then would not have to go through such an insult.
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Dec 01, 2020 09:43am
Suing for a $50,203 loss in an international airline like PIA in 2016? Ridiculous.
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Dec 01, 2020 09:51am
Ik says poverty can be eliminated by removing corruption and the biggest fish his FIA finds is for 50 k. What a cruel joke this govt is?
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Dec 01, 2020 09:56am
Business lesson - A $50 K consulting assignment can make a company go bankrupt.
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Dec 01, 2020 10:15am
For recovery of such a small amount Government will lose money in way of Legal actions etc. When our departments will understand!
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Dec 01, 2020 11:56am
And before when all such crimes were done under our nose.... We were sleeping.
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Dec 01, 2020 12:07pm
Chasing after $50k from 2016? This is how low we have got?
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Dec 01, 2020 12:09pm
@Hwh, “.. head is a foreigner..” for your info the head of Emirates airline is not an Arab!!
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Dec 01, 2020 12:13pm
@Dev Mehta, : But legal costs may exceed a million dollar which PIA has to pay !!!
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Dec 01, 2020 12:13pm
He also took the plane & sold it overseas, when are we getting it back?
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Dec 01, 2020 12:20pm
such a small sum, its not worth mentioning when there is scam of billions going on.
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Dec 01, 2020 12:36pm
It seems that whole system is corrupt in Pakistan according to except NAB officials who come from Mars.
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Dec 01, 2020 12:43pm
What a joke?
The other CEOs had and have authority for appointments but this German didn't.
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Dec 01, 2020 12:53pm
The big question is: Who and why a German was appointed as PIA boss?
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Dec 01, 2020 12:55pm
Too little, too late.
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Dec 01, 2020 01:01pm
Why a German CEO of PIA?
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Dec 01, 2020 02:15pm
What happened to the hijacked PIA plane which landed in Germany.
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Dec 01, 2020 02:19pm
Foreigners running PIA. Foreigners coaching national cricket team too. These foreigners cost taxpayers in billions!
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Dec 01, 2020 02:37pm
PIA is a mega loss-making Airlines.
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Dec 01, 2020 03:36pm
This is absolutely ridiculous.
That amount appears to just be his salary.
Meanwhile, the real corruption related to dodgy maintenance contracts and fuel hedging appears to go unnoticed.
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Dec 01, 2020 04:05pm
Book selectors and selected, problem will be solved.
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Dec 01, 2020 04:06pm
Only selectors and selected can scan PIA
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Dec 01, 2020 04:14pm
@Danish, That is the ambition of Mr. Khan to make Pakistan a stable and corrupt free country for ever!
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Dec 01, 2020 04:14pm
50k dollars. There are billions being paid to the corrupt in the shape of golden handshakes and they are worried about 50k.
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Dec 01, 2020 04:15pm
If CEO of a company can’t even hire even one lowly consultant that he trusts, then his actual designation should be a clerk, not a CEO.
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Dec 01, 2020 04:18pm
My first international carrier PIA,hope will get its lost prestige and reputation back in the aviation world.
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Dec 01, 2020 06:07pm
Why only him, sue also Mashadullah for appointing his family members in important positions. For example Motiullah in Paris
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Dec 01, 2020 09:47pm
no case against brother of Ex Gen, Riswan Akthar who was involved in corruption along with German national Bernd Hildenbrand, a former acting CEO of PIA
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Dec 02, 2020 06:25am
This is a distraction from the big swindling that is going on. Wonder who will get a sweetheart deal for the Roosevelt?
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