Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) has submitted a report to the Senate Standing Committee on Industries and Production. According to this report, no action has been taken against the alleged culprits who financially destroyed the national asset in connivance with a private sector steel mafia.
In 2009 and 2010, as many as 20 cases of billions of rupees of corruption were reported out of which a clean chit has been given to ten cases. As far as 10 remaining cases are concerned, no mentionable action has been taken against the alleged culprits. According to details, in 2009 PSM purchased 50,000 MT of coal from Port Gladstone, Australia, through vessel MV Annoula. In this regard, Mueen Aftab Shaikh, ex-Chairman, Sameen Asghar, and ex-Director (Commercial) were held responsible.
Mueen Aftab Shaikh is already under trial. Moreover, the case of federal government officer Sameen Asghar has been referred to the Establishment Division for disciplinary action under rules. Mueen Aftab Sheikh, Sameen Asghar and Naeem-ul-Haq, Deputy General Manager (BMR7E) have been held responsible in procurement of 40,000 MT of Metallurgical Coke through MV Alpha Afove. An FIR has been registered against the first two but the third one has not been nominated in the FIR. In the light of the report on forensic accountancy of PSM for the year ending June 30, 2009, he was accused in this case. As a result of disciplinary inquiry conducted by Tariq Elias Abro, A/PEO (Commercial), he has been held “not guilty” of the charges.
Other cases are as follows: (i) procurement of coal at highly inflated price; (ii) higher cost of raw material against low sale price; (iii) mismanagement production of case billets; (iv) mismanagement of production of rolled billets; (v) mismanagement of galvanised products; (vi) corruption-allocation of products; (vii) mismanagement priority to traders as compared to consumers; (viii) mismanagement of un-lifting of finished goods in stipulated time; (ix) corruption in purchase of coke from M/s Nobel Resources; (x) deviation of production against the budgeted norms; (xi) purchase of caustic soda and hydrochloric acid; (xii) purchase of chlorine gas; (xiii) mismanagement/ deviation of production against the budgeted norms;(xiv) irregularities in the award of canteen contract 2008-09; (xv) violation of rules and regulation in lifting of flat products; (xvi) selling arrangement for PS product 2008; (xvii) violation of rules and regulation by marketing department; and (xviii) sale of various finished products including long and flat products by marketing department.
The other accused are: (i) Rasool Bux Phulpoto, the then Director Admin/Marketing; (ii) Muhammad Masood, General Manager, Muhammad Anisul Haq, Abdul Azim Soomro, Riaz Hussain Manghi, Nizamuddin Sahito, Khalid Ghani Siddiqui, Muhammad Ali Shah, Brigadier Abdul Qayyum (Retd), Muhammad Iqbal, Muhammad Atique, Imtiaz-ul Haq, Asghar Ali and Abdul Ghafoor.
