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Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Eight officials summoned in RDA scam probe
The Punjab Chief Secretary's fact-finding inquiry committee has summoned eight serving Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) employees and two retired officers to appear in Lahore on August 8 for the sixth round of proceedings in connection with the embezzlement of Rs1.94 billion from a government account. The matter had surfaced in the second week of May this year. Despite the financial scandal spanning over six years, no former Director General or Director of Administration and Finance of the RDAaside from the incumbentshas been summoned to date. Thus far, scrutiny has been limited to junior and subordinate staff. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB)'s ongoing investigation has yet to yield a significant breakthrough. Meanwhile, an internal inquiry committee established at the RDA a fortnight ago hasn't finalised its report. The committee was tasked with determining whether funds held as financial securities in a separate bank account were improperly transferred to other accounts via Call Deposit Receipts (CDRs). Sources in the RDA confirm that CDRs worth Rs1.29b remain unaccounted for in the authority's records. The bank in question has reportedly declined to credit these CDRs back to the RDA without official direction from NAB. Separately, it has been confirmed that Rs1.94b was indeed transferred to other accounts before the scandal's disclosure. The internal RDA committeeestablished to verify whether any such transfers occurred between internal accountshas yet to submit its findings, despite more than two and a half weeks having passed. Those summoned to appear before the Chief Secretary's inquiry committee on August 8 in Lahore include Deputy Director (Finance) Muhammad Masood Arshad, Assistant Director (Finance) Waqar Asghar Raja, senior accountant Syed Al-Raziq, accountants Qasim uz-Zaman, Muhammad Jameel, and Saba Gul, Stenographer Jehangir Ahmed, and senior clerk Shafqat Ali. Additionally, former Director of Administration and Finance, Asif Mahmood Janjua, and former Assistant Director, Khawaja Arshad Javed, both retired, have also been summoned. Notably, over the entire six-year period covered by the scandal, no former DG or Director of Administration and Financeother than the current officialshas been called to account. Last month, the RDA administration begun implementing key reforms to restore financial discipline. As an initial step, the implementation of an irregular promotion was halted, and a revised framework for financial authority was introduced.
Express Tribune
30-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Accountability eludes RDA probe
The fact-finding inquiry initiated by the Punjab Chief Secretary into the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) financial scandal has entered its concluding phase, but without accountability in the loop. Written testimonies from six employees of the RDA Finance Directorate, along with two retired officers, have been submitted. A pivotal hearing is scheduled for July 31 in Lahore, after which the final inquiry report — complete with recommendations — will be submitted to the CS. Sources told The Express Tribune that a female member of the inquiry committee recorded statements from the summoned officials on Tuesday regarding the alleged embezzlement involving the transfer of Rs1.94 billion from an official RDA account. Simultaneously, a separate departmental probe committee — formed to investigate transfers via Certificates of Deposit (CDRs) from another RDA bank account — has failed to meet its seven-day reporting deadline. Notably, despite the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) having questioned all summoned individuals in connection with the scandal, no investigation has yet been conducted involving any Directors General or Directors of Administration and Finance who held office during the five-year span in which the alleged misappropriations occurred. To date, only two retired officers — former Director of Admin and Finance Asif Mehmood Janjua, and former Assistant Director Khawaja Arshad Javed — have been officially questioned. It's essential to note that within the RDA, only two positionsthe Director General and the Director of Administration and Finance — are vested with the authority to approve financial transactions. Over two months have passed since the scandal surfaced in mid-May, revealing that Rs1.94b in public funds had been transferred via CDRs to various companies, firms, and individuals. Despite the gravity of the matter, no responsible parties have been identified, nor has any portion of the misappropriated amount been recovered. Parallel investigations are ongoing by NAB, the chief secretary's fact-finding committee, and the departmental probe team formed by the RDA Director General. However, none have produced definitive findings. The departmental committee, specifically tasked with determining whether RDA's financial securities were transferred between internal accounts, has yet to deliver its overdue report. Last month, the RDA administration begun implementing key reforms to restore financial discipline. As an initial step, the implementation of an irregular promotion was halted, and a revised framework for financial authority was introduced. Under the new structure, the director finance and deputy director finance had been jointly authorised to approve financial transactions up to Rs0.5 million. According to sources, the reforms came in response to investigations by the NAB, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment, and the fact-finding committee set up by the chief secretary. The scandal involved the unauthorised transfer of Rs1.94 billion in public funds to various companies and individuals through Call Deposit Receipts (CDRs).
