ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to improve its complaint assessment mechanism to enhance the complaint-to-inquiry ratio, effectively monitor complaint progression, and flag procedural delays.
These observations were made in an audit paragraph titled “Deficient review of complaints by NAB resulting in a low complaint-to-inquiry ratio in LESCO-related cases.”
According to the audit, a performance review of NAB’s handling of inquiries related to the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) during the period 2019–24 revealed significant procedural delays in converting complaints into inquiries and in subsequent stages of processing.
Out of 510 Lesco-related complaints received over the five-year period, only 18 cases (3.53 percent) were converted into Complaint Verification Reports (CVRs). The audit critically analyzed, on a sample basis, the list of complaints provided by NAB officials and found that 14 cases relating to assets beyond means, one case involving bribery, two cases of illegal detection, and one case concerning misuse of authority were substantial and warranted elevation to the inquiry stage.
However, these cases were either referred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or other departments instead of being upgraded to inquiries or investigations—reflecting operational inefficiency, non-adherence to prescribed procedures, and a weak monitoring and evaluation system.
Regarding inordinate delays in finalising complaint proceedings, the audit highlighted a case involving alleged corruption in the award of a tender for the purchase of 41 power transformers worth USD 12.47 million (Rs 1.412 billion).
The complaint was received by NAB on April 5, 2016, yet it took nearly eight years to finalise the proceedings.
During this period, Lesco awarded the tender on July 15, 2016, to M/s Chint Electric China at a contract price of RMB 84,253,572 plus Rs 37.5 million, and later issued a repeat order on June 15, 2018, for six additional transformers. Deliveries were completed by November 2017 and payments were made in full.
The prolonged delay in complaint processing and failure to adhere to standard timelines reflected serious weaknesses in NAB’s internal controls, monitoring mechanisms, and enforcement of accountability standards.
The audit noted that the approximate eight-year delay defeated the objective of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, which emphasizes the “speedy disposal” of corruption cases. It further facilitated the execution of a non-transparent contract, allowing full implementation and payment before any preventive or corrective action could be taken.
The audit attributed the delay to multiple reassessments across different officers and wings, repeated verification and analysis by the Complaint Verification Cell (CVC) and the Analysis and Prosecution (A&P) Wing, procedural consultations regarding the sustainability of the case, and extended timelines for detailed probing, ultimately leading to the complaint’s closure in February 2024.
The AGP recommended that NAB management ensure strict compliance with prescribed timelines at all stages of complaint processing and fix responsibility on officers or sections responsible for unjustified delays to prevent recurrence.
In another case of prolonged pendency resulting in weak enforcement of accountability procedures, the audit noted that Lesco management forwarded a complaint to NAB in April 2024 regarding alleged misuse of authority and assets beyond means by Rai Muhammad Asghar, Director of the Customer Service Directorate (CSD), along with other Lesco officers.
The complaint alleged that the accused officials granted undue benefits to consumers through adjustments of electricity units—with and without meter readings—resulting in undue financial gains and accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income. Based on this complaint, the Director General NAB Lahore authorized an inquiry on May 31, 2024.
Separately, on the non-implementation of a High Court order in the Khayaban-e-Amin Housing Society case, the audit advised that NAB Headquarters should institute internal checks to prevent the issuance of directives to other departments that contravene statutory or regulatory provisions.
Copyright media, 2026
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