Routine work has stopped at Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) after law enforcement agencies apprehended its top officials last week over alleged corruption, officials said on Monday.
Company’s Deputy Managing Director Shoaib Warsi, Chief Financial Officer M Amin Rajput and General Manager Kamran Nagi were whisked away by security officials from their offices in front of their colleagues.
“We are in a terrible state. Three of our top lieutenants are gone and the rest of them have gone underground. How are we supposed to work under these conditions?” said a senior official who is in touch with the “right quarters” over the matter.
Officials in SSGC, which besides supplying gas to consumers in Sindh and Balochistan, also uplifts re-gasified LNG, said that no one was ready to take decisions on key issues for fear of being implicated in a false case later.
“Those who have been detained are respectable people. Rajput was made CFO couple of months ago. Before that he was in the internal audit department which has nothing to do with policy decisions,” said an official.
The detentions come at a time when the government is struggling to meet gas supply needs of industries and domestic consumers.
Much hyped imports of LNG to supplement domestic supply have also hit a snag due to delays in formulation of rules and procedures.
SSGC’s own financial woes have deepened due to the delay in finalising the past three year’s accounts because the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has not approved of its regulated revenues yet.
Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi last week said any case of alleged corruption should be brought before courts. However, he had not agreed that this action of the law enforcement agencies would subvert work in any way.
The fact that officials were taken away just after arrest of former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain has also added to conspiracy theories doing the rounds, officials say.
“No one knows what this enquiry is about. It could be anybody’s guess,” said another official.
Neither SSGC nor its sister concern Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) are entirely independent in taking decision on gas connections.
Successive managements have complained of immense political interference that has led to a shift in consumer base from bulk customers to leakage and theft-prone households.
SSGC’s Managing Director Khalid Rahman also addressed his staff yesterday to boost morale. The MD informed his team that the agencies are currently making enquiries and no charges have so far been levelled against any officer of the company, a statement said.
He advised officers not to believe in hearsay or engage in rumour mongering.
“The MD has appealed to media that considering the sensitivity of the issue, it should verify the facts from company’s corporate communication department or the law enforcement agencies, before making any news public.”
Also read:SSGC deputy MD Shoaib Warsi arrested by plainclothes men
AN AMMAZING AND UNBELIEABLE NEWS FOR SSGC COLLEAGUES.
• Mr.SHAH MUJTABA AHMED, CTIO OF SSGC AND BRAIN CHILD OF EX. AND DETAINED MD ZUHAIR SIDDIQUI BEFORE JOINING SSGC WAS IN CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY (CAA) IN FINANCE DEPARTMENT & NOT IN IT DEPARTMENT.
• HE IS SIMPLE B.COM AND MA ECONOMICS.
• HE HAS ZERO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT IT SYSTEM AND APPLICATIONS. HE CLAIMS THAT PREVIOUSLY HE DID NOT WORK WITH ANY PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATION, BUT IT IS CONFIRMED THAT HE WAS WITH ZUHAIR SIDDIQUI, IRFAN ZAFAR AND SHAISTA SHAIKH CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY AND EXPELLED ON THE ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT AND CORRUPTION.
• SHAH MUJTABA AHMED (CTIO) WITH COORDINATION OF Ex. GM-HR IS TRYING TO IMPLEMENT ELECTRONIC ATTENDANCE SYSTEM IN SSGC AND THEY CLAIM THAT CURRENT ATTENDANCE SYSTEM IS LINKED WITH PAYROLL SYSTEM WHICH IS TOTALLY FALSE, BECAUSE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO INTEGRATE CURRENT ELECTRONIC ATTENDANCE SYSTEM WITH PAYROLL SYSTEM.
• Mr. SHAH MUJTABA AHMED (CTIO) MARKS OD (ON DUTY) IN ELECTRONIC ATTENDANCE SYSTEM FOR HIS LADY SECRETARY SINCE 4 MONTHS AFTER TAKING CHARGE OF IT DEPARTMENT. HIS LADY SECRETARY CAME SSGC ONLY 20 TO 25 DAYS OUT OF 4 MONTHS AND SHE PASSES ONLY 4 TO 6 HOURS IN FULL DAY SERVICE AND ALSO UTILIZES COMPANY VEHICLE FOR PICK AND DROP WHICH IS TOTALLY AGAINST THE RULES & REGULATION OF COMPANY.
WE REQUEST TO THE MANAGEMENT TO PLEASE LOOK INTO THE ISSUE AS WE ARE ALREADY FACING NUMBER OF CORRUPT PEOPLES AND CORRUPTION CASES IN COMPANY WHICH IS SHAME FULL TO EVERY ONE OF COMPANY EMPLOYEE.