3G/4G spectrum auction: NAB unearths violation in hiring of international consultants

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has unearthed that Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules were violated by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in hiring of international consultants for upcoming 3G/4G spectrum auction. The NAB investigators while probing the planned and long-delayed sale of 3G licenses found that PTA violated PPRA rules in hiring of consultants for this purpose.
The country's top anti-corruption body has asked PTA to properly follow PPRA rules and give confirmation till December 26, the NAB spokesman said. The NAB official said that the Bureau had approached PTA and PPRA to probe the consultants hiring process and two PTA members refused to approve the Information of Memorandum (IM) on 3G auction revealing that the regulator had appointed three consultants for a total amount of about Rs 70 million in violation of PPRA rules.
The NAB spokesman said that NAB had sent a letter to Secretary Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), to give detailed presentation to NAB Chief on January 1, 2013 on the issues of tax evasion, SMS GST evasion, Universal Services Fund (USF), e-governance and auction of broadband frequency.
He said NAB investigators had identified tax evasion by the cellular companies because of absence of forensic auditing and facility of interlinking exchanges. "NAB has also asked MoIT to clarify violation of the rules by the cellular companies for charging 19.5 percent SMS GST.