The board of the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has ordered a high-level inquiry after the tweet of a federal minister Khawaja Asif exposed a Rs80,000 transformer bribe.
Earlier this week, the federal minister shared the incident on his official X account, formerly Twitter, prompting the LESCO board to take immediate notice and act.
In a post on X, the minister said a transformer in his domestic worker’s village recently burned out, prompting him to seek assistance from an acquaintance.
The minister wrote that workers repaired the transformer but demanded Rs80,000, which villagers raised through donations before handing the collected amount to LESCO personnel.
However, Khawaja Asif alleged that no receipt was issued despite full payment, adding that the circumstances allowed people to draw their own conclusions.
The board described the act of charging Rs80,000 to replace a transformer, even at the request of the federal minister, as deeply troubling and unacceptable.
LESCO officials stated the incident represents one of the worst examples of corruption and a breakdown within the ageing power system of the country.
The board confirmed that the Chief Executive of LESCO, along with all responsible officers, will face formal questioning during the inquiry process.
Strict action will be taken against any member of LESCO management who is found to have been directly involved in this corruption case.
The board also noted a contradiction, as management had previously assured them that corruption and overbilling had been fully eliminated from the system.
