The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has not yet started investigating millions of rupees of embezzlement in Tawana Pakistan Project (TPP), which was handed over to NAB by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) last year.
"Last year the FIA's Special Investigation Unit (SIU) transferred the probe of TPP to NAB on the directives of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The FIA had completed major part of the investigation and also established that embezzlement was carried out by different companies but NAB has not yet taken the investigation despite the passage of months," an official source in the FIA told Business Recorder.
He said that under the project Rs 310 million was provided as advance to Weta Company (Pakistan) without following appropriate government rules and regulations. Under the contract milk, juices and biscuits were to be provided to the girls primary schools.
The project was designed to provide food items to schools located in high poverty areas including Laki Marwat, D G Khan, Pak Patang, Badeen, Gwadar and Turbat, he said. Source said that FIA during investigation had established that Weta Pakistan misappropriated Rs 170 million. Similarly the investigators also found that Weta Pakistan supplied 'defective' milk, juices and biscuits worth Rs 140 million in the above six districts, he said.
He said Rs 550 million was provided to another company Maza Pakistan for provision of milk, juice and biscuits in two district including Mardan and Thatta. The company only supplied food items worth rupees two million and embezzled the rest of the money, he said. Tawana Pakistan Project, a multifaceted pilot project (September 2002 to June 2005) was funded by the Government of Pakistan to address poor nutritional status and school enrolment of the primary school-age girls.