ISLAMABAD: Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday admitted a petition filed against the appointment and subsequent extension of Dr Sardar Mohazzam as Managing Director of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (Neeca).

Neeca, established under the Neeca Act 2016, is mandated to promote energy efficiency and conservation in Pakistan.

Justice Minhas after perusal of the record observed that the appointment of Dr Mohazzam was being made prima facie in conflict of interest and sought the reply of the relevant authorities including the principal secretary to the prime minister, secretary establishment, Ministry of Energy, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and others.

The petitioner hurled allegations of corruption, nepotism and misuse of authority within Neeca.

The petitioners, Muhammad Sajjad Hussain and Zeeshan Ullah, both employees of Neeca, have accused the Managing Director Dr Sardar Mohazzam of multiple violations of the Neeca Act 2016 and government policies.

The petitioners claimed that Dr Mohazzam while serving as managing director was simultaneously a partner in a private firm — Prudence Consulting.

They alleged that he used his position to secure multiple contracts for Prudence Consulting from multilateral donor agencies, including the World Bank and GIZ, which were linked to Neeca projects.

Furthermore, Dr Mohazzam is accused of manipulating the Asian Development Bank to award a consultancy contract to his real brother, Sardar Aqsam.

The petition highlighted that Dr Mohazzam awarded contracts to firms with close ties to him, including I-Orbit and Genesis Megatech, both of which had connections to Prudence Consulting.

The petitioners argued that these contracts were awarded without transparency and violated conflict of interest rules.

The petitioners alleged that Dr Mohazzam bypassed standard recruitment procedures to hire associates and relatives.

For instance, Sabieh Haider, a business partner of Dr Mohazzam, was allegedly hired as director SMO in Neeca, a position that was later declared illegal by the Federal Ombudsman.

Additionally, the petitioners claimed that Dr Mohazzam handpicked candidates for key positions without following proper recruitment protocols.

The petition accused Dr Mohazzam of misusing Neeca’s salary budget for purposes other than hiring professionals, including the renovation of the Neeca building and the purchase of a luxury vehicle in violation of government austerity measures.

The petitioners also alleged that funds from the Energy Conservation Fund (ECF), managed by Dr Mohazzam, were withdrawn in cash without proper oversight or audit.

The petitioners claimed that Neeca and ECF have failed to comply with financial regulations, including the submission of audited financial statements and holding annual general meetings.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has reportedly raised concerns about potential fraud and illegalities in ECF’s operations.

The petitioners have requested the IHC to restrain Dr Sardar Mohazzam from continuing as Managing Director of Neeca and ECF and sought order a forensic audit of ECF’s accounts.

The petitioners further sought directions to the Federal Investigation Agency or another appropriate agency to investigate the alleged wrongdoings in order to recover any misappropriated funds from the national exchequer or donor grants.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2025