KARACHI: (Web Desk) – Foreign agency auditing media rating institution of Pakistan, Media Logic, has on Sunday revealed that Express Group deprived media industry of billions of rupees through the ratings fraud. Auditor Robert Rudd said that the initial estimates of the loss of Rs. 450 million to the media industry were incorrect as the scandal had cost the industry billions of rupees, reported Dunya News.
Robert Rudd has done such audits in dozens of countries in the past. The sources present during Robert Rudd’s presentation told that the auditor openly said that the fraud by Express Group was worst of such examples. He also confirmed that Express Group reaped benefits from this fraud for 6 months starting from January 2015 while the 70% surge in the ratings was also achieved through fraud.
Sources told that at the time of Robert’s appointment in 2014 as the auditor by Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), Secretary Finance Sultan Lakhani had approved the funds for his appointment, which annuls the impression that Express Group had reservations regarding Robert’s appointment.
PBA had issued a show-cause notice to Express Group to answer these allegations by September 9, 2015, but instead of answering the notice, Express Group started making up stories on its channel.
