CDA seeks third-party forensic audit of IHC Legal Facilitation Centre project

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is demanding a third-party forensic audit of the multi-billion-rupee project for the construction of the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Legal Facilitation Centre.

The move comes as the legacy of costly flaws continues to haunt the main IHC building, which cost over Rs11 billion and came under severe criticism for faulty elevators, an inefficient cooling system and substandard work.

According to official documents and a contempt application filed before the IHC, serious concerns have emerged over the execution of the Legal Facilitation Centre project at Constitution Avenue.

The recent application filed by the CDA seeks the appointment of an independent technical auditor — preferably the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (NESPAK) — to verify executed work, measurements and excess quantities.

The project, initially entrusted to the Pakistan Public Works Department (PWD), was transferred to the CDA following a federal cabinet decision in August 2024.

The original agreement cost for the facilitation centre was Rs1.446 billion, which has now ballooned to over Rs2.07 billion after approvals for variations.

However, the CDA has expressed concern regarding the pending formal approval of excess quantity statements — amounting to Rs492 million — with the contractor’s running bill of Rs313 million already submitted.

The documents reveal a troubling pattern similar to that of the main IHC building, which was plagued by project mismanagement.

According to an Auditor-General of Pakistan report on the main building, its cost rose to Rs5 billion, with Rs1 billion paid without a detailed measurement book, and the revised building plan never approved by the CDA.

Sources indicate that the facilitation centre’s contractor, which had earlier faced scrutiny over allegedly bogus credentials, has exceeded the original bill of quantities, raising concerns over transparency and financial propriety.

The CDA has pleaded before the court that “certain actions of the contractor as well as the Pak PWD, particularly in relation to excess quantities and pending approvals, have given rise to doubts requiring independent and impartial verification before any further financial commitments are undertaken”.

The facilitation centre project is now a matter of public importance.

With the total cost now exceeding Rs2bn and a revised completion date set for December 2026, the CDA has sought the court’s intervention to safeguard public funds and prevent future litigation.

The court is expected to take up the matter, which could expose another layer of “malfeasance in public works”. ...