• Muzammil Hussain responded to the second ‘request’ of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore.
• The NAB Lahore had launched a complaint verification against the senior retired general.
• The anti-graft body while considering the reply of former chairman WAPDA as insufficient sent him a ‘request’ to appear in person.

LAHORE: Finally, ex-WAPDA chief Lt-Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain responded to the second ‘request’ of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Lahore and appeared before investigation team for complaint verification process over alleged irregularities in the Tarbela Hydropower Project-IV, which allegedly caused a loss of $753 million to the national exchequer.

The NAB Lahore had launched a complaint verification against the senior retired general and requested him to appear before the bureau on June 6 but he avoided his appearance. Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil, however, instead of appearing before the bureau had submitted a reply through his legal team.

The anti-graft body while considering the reply of former chairman WAPDA as insufficient sent him a ‘request’ to appear in person as it wanted more clarity with the reference to the allegations levelled against him.

“Therefore, you are once again requested to appear in person to record your version before Deputy Director Complaint Verification Qudsia Firdous on June 20,” the notice read.

The call-up notice was unique in nature as it had “requested” Muzammil to appear before the bureau as compared to its routine notices in which words like “summoned, asked and directed” are used to call persons in question.

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This might also be the first instance in bureau’s history wherein a retired lieutenant general appeared before the NAB, headed by a retired major. A team of the NAB led by a director questioned former WAPDA chairman for around two hours in which he refuted any claim of any alleged misappropriation, irregularity or embezzlement in multi-million dollar project of Tarbela Hydropower Project-IV.

Mr Muzammil had resigned from his office in May 2022 after a change of the government at the center. In August 2021, he had been given an extension for five years.

As per the NAB notice, Muzammil was intimated that the complaint verification was under process on the allegations of misuse of authority and misappropriation of government funds. The bureau directed Muzammil to come along with documents of the hydropower project.

He was also directed to bring complete details of funding process, contract evaluation along with PC-1 and subsequent revisions in PC-1 along with administrative approvals and technical sanctions from the competent authority. The NAB directed him to bring a competition certificate verified by the competent authority and complete details of the installation/commencement of the project.

As per the complaint, Lt Gen Muzammil was accused of alleged abuse of power in his tenure as WAPDA chairman, which caused losses of billions. It was also alleged that the former chairman WAPDA made wrong payments to contractors. The Tarbela Hydropower Project IV was nearing completion but had the highest per unit construction cost in the country, it added.

After appearing before the NAB, Gen Muzammil Hussian told media that he has responded to every query of the accountability watchdog.

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