Senator Faisal Vawda revealed that he had received death threats from the Federal Board of Return (FBR) officers after raising concerns about the purchase of 1,010 vehicles, a question that was discussed at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Senate. Vawda said he had evidence in support of these allegations.
The permanent finance senatorial committee, chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwala, has summoned to discuss the issue of the FBR vehicle purchase agreement. During the meeting, Vawda alleged that FBR officials had threatened his life when he raised the issue, declaring that he was ready to provide evidence.
He appointed several FBR officers and revealed that he had compiled a list of 54 corrupt officials, that he was ready to share.
The president of the FBR, Rashid Langrial, expressed his concern concerning allegations, declaring that as a parliamentarian, the complaint of Vawda should be taken seriously.
“If you have received threats, I could also be in danger. This question will not be without control. She will be sent to an investigation agency for a criminal investigation,” said Langrial.
Vawda urged the government to act quickly, declaring that it had encountered similar situations during his mandate and did not want the issue to be delayed.
The committee also addressed the issue of FBR officers carrying out a raid at the office of a multinational company. The members of the Committee, including Farooq H. Naik, stressed that it was a sensitive case and called for a criminal investigation, suggesting that the case be referred to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) .
Langrial assured the committee that an in -depth investigation would be carried out in the raid and said that he would provide a full report on the issue if they trusted him. If they preferred an investigation by another officer, it was also open to this.
Senator Shibli Faraz expressed his concerns about purchases of vehicles without competitive auctions, calling this a criminal problem that required an investigation. Langrial assured the committee that the vehicle purchasing process would remain pending until all concerns are processed. He asked that the question is not yet delayed.
The question of approval of the public supply process provides Regulatory Authority (PPRA) was also discussed. Langrial said that if the law did not require the prior approval of the APPR, the process should have been examined by the PPRA board of directors. He added that the Minister of Finance should request detailed information from the APPR concerning the purchase of vehicle.
Langrial also asked why other government services were not classified in the same way as the FBR officers in the integrated system, expressing frustration concerning the lack of consistency at all levels.
