The Petroleum Division has asked the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) to initiate a forensic audit of top 10 oil marketing companies (OMCs), which were allegedly involved in the petrol crisis in June last year.
The Petroleum Division has sent a questionnaire to the AGP, asking it to focus on it while conducting the audit of OMCs.
The forensic audit will target top 10 OMCs in terms of market share as they account for nearly 95% of motor gasoline (petrol) sales in the country.
In a letter sent to the AGP, the Petroleum Division said that the federal cabinet, in a meeting held on March 16, 2021, while discussing the margins for OMCs and petroleum dealers, issued directives for undertaking a forensic audit of the OMCs for the alleged artificial shortage of motor gasoline across the country in June 2020.
Earlier, the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) had decided to conduct the forensic audit through the AGP.
Auditors will ask the OMCs about the projected demand and orders placed for the purchase of motor gasoline from domestic refineries and overseas suppliers in June 2020.
They will ask whether the refineries provided the required fuel quantity.
They will also check how much stocks the OMCs kept in June 2020 to meet the licence condition imposed by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).
They will examine the reasons for not maintaining the required stocks and how much shortfall the OMCs faced during the period under review.
