RAHIM YAR KHAN: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) administration has terminated an officer and downgraded three others after an inquiry into a Rs19.2 million financial embezzlement case occurred at the district sales office of the airlines in May 2017.

According to sources, the PIA administration in Karachi completed the inquiry into the case in two years and terminated finance manager (FM) Rahat Rasool and downgraded district sales manager (DSM) Abdulhaq Mahar from group six to group five as sales officer, senior accounts officer Muhammad Baksh Khan from group five to group four as sales supervisor, and sales promotion officer Muslim Sajid from group six to group five.

DSM Abdul Ghaffar Shehzad was declared innocent.

PIA authorities suspended from service two officers of the finance department and transferred seven others from marketing and counterticketing departments of the local office after serving notices on them in the first week of May 2017 for Rs19.2 million financial embezzlement.

This irregularity was disclosed by the director of a Sadiqabad-based travel agency to the National Accountability Bureau and the Federal Investigation Agency after he developed differences with his col-leagues and chief executive officer (CEO) of the agency and was fired in December 2016.

According to him, irregularities began in September 2013 and continued till December 2016 by travel agency Wakalatul Fursan Travels and Tours (WFTT) and the then DSM and officials of the revenue department in the Karachi head office of the airlines. Most of the irregularities were found in the sale of international ticl(ets. An FIR was also registered on the application of the PIA against the WFTT CEO and directors in May 2017.

Some PIA employees told this correspondent that the financial irregularities started in 2013 and it was the duty of local and the staff at head office as well to monitor the accounts transactions.

The terminated FM has appealed to the PIA authorities for the restoration of her job, saying other employees involved in the case were downgraded, not sacked. In the inquiry, there is no word about the recovery of the embezzled money either from the employees or travel agency which is again operational.

Spokesperson for the PIA Mashhood Tajwar told Dawn the findings of the inquiry and recovery of embezzled amount were two different issues. He said that if any employee has reservation on the findings, he could raise his grievance before the administration. He said he would share recovery details after contacting PIA and legal officials.