ISLAMABAD, Apr 15 (APP): The District & Sessions Court of Islamabad on Tuesday reserved its decision on whether to order the registration of a criminal case in a financial scandal involving over Rs1.24 billion at the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The case highlights delays in action by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) despite repeated requests for an inquiry.
On today, Additional District and Sessions Judge Sheikh Sohail Ahmed heard arguments on a petition filed by the APP’s legal team seeking the registration of a criminal case against several individuals accused of embezzlement.
During the hearing, APP legal adviser Nazir Sultan and lawyer Khurram Ibrahim Baig and others appeared before the court. They stated that the APP, being a government institution, had suffered a major financial loss due to internal corruption.
According to the petitioners, the embezzlement case has been pending with the FIA for the past six months, but no formal investigation has started.
They requested the court to direct the FIA to register a case against those responsible.
FIA official Chaudhry Shafiq informed the court that investigating officer Malik Sajid had submitted a reply and assured the court that the inquiry would be completed within two weeks.
Judge Sohail Ahmed noted that the APP management had submitted evidence including salary slips, audit reports, and bank records to support their claim. He observed that the submitted documents clearly showed irregularities.
Lawyers representing the accused also appeared before the court. Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi represented Arshad Majeed Chaudhry and Ghawas Khan, while Chaudhry Naeem Ali Gujjar represented Qasim Gujjar. When the judge asked about the legal representative for another accused, Moazzam Javed, the court was informed that his counsel, Taimur Aslam, was engaged in proceedings at the Supreme Court and could not attend.
Responding with mild sarcasm, the judge remarked that he would have arranged a red carpet if he had been informed in advance about the lawyer’s unavailability.
The judge also questioned whether the FIA had sent any questionnaires to the fact-finding committee formed by APP. In response, APP legal officer Rafaqat Shah stated that the agency had submitted its records to the FIA five times but received no progress on registering a case. The court then reserved its decision and adjourned the hearing.
According to the petition, the APP administration formed a fact-finding committee on June 24, 2024, after reports surfaced regarding serious financial misconduct. The committee investigated alleged embezzlement involving Rs1.24 billion. It discovered large-scale irregularities, especially in funds related to employee expenses and provident fund accounts.
The findings, later submitted to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, recommended that the case be handed over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or the FIA for further legal action.
The report revealed misuse of authority, unapproved financial transactions, and violations of financial regulations. It claimed that financial records were deliberately kept away from APP officials and that certain bank staff were complicit in damaging the national treasury.
The petition also highlighted missing financial documents, including cash books, salary and pension credit sheets, and master ledgers for the years 2021 to 2023. These records, the report alleged, were intentionally destroyed by former officials.
The fact-finding report stated that large amounts of money were transferred into personal bank accounts of APP officials. Evidence from bank statements confirmed these transfers. In one case, an individual reportedly moved Rs4.7 million to a personal account, while another transferred Rs15.4 million from the ERE account.
The petition added that Rs910.4 million was embezzled from the provident fund account, with the money being funneled into various personal accounts without approval. The committee identified 16 individuals involved in the financial misconduct.
It recommended that the authorities investigate these suspects thoroughly, send the case to NAB or the FIA, and examine their bank accounts and assets for potential recovery of stolen funds.
To prevent similar incidents in the future, the report also suggested stricter financial oversight for key positions and the introduction of a proper reporting and review system.
Despite these findings and the availability of documentary proof, the petition stated that the FIA has not initiated legal action, forcing the APP administration to approach the court for registration of a formal case.
The court included the FIA Director General, investigating officers, and other relevant individuals as respondents in the petition.