Yellow Line BRT Karachi: Ex-director accused of Rs8.5 bln irregularities

An anti-corruption court heard case related to alleged Rs8.5 billion corruption in the Yellow Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

During the heareing, anti-corruption authorities submitted a preliminary investigation report against former Project Director Zameer Abbasi and other individuals.

According to the report, investigators reviewed three major construction components of the Yellow Line BRT scheme, including the New Jam Sadiq Bridge, the Dawood Chowrangi Depot One project, and the Indus Hospital Depot Two project.

The preliminary findings allege that financial controls and governance procedures were seriously disregarded during the execution of the projects. Former Project Director Zameer Abbasi is accused of providing undue benefits to contractors, while both Abbasi and Director Procurement Jhaman Das face allegations of misuse of authority.

The report further states that the relevant contracts contained no provisions allowing advance payments or financial assistance to contractors. Despite this, officials allegedly facilitated financial support worth billions of rupees.

Investigators claim that approximately Rs8.5 billion was provided to contractors without the required bank guarantees, resulting in a loss to the public exchequer.

The report submitted before the court identifies multiple procedural and financial irregularities, according to anti-corruption authorities.