Forced Leave Ordered for 2 Intelsat Chiefs : Board of Governors to Study Questionable Items Found in Audit

Intelsat, the 112-member communications satellite consortium, placed its director general and his assistant for business affairs on forced leave today while its board of governors decides what to do about questionable transactions discovered during a routine audit.

Director General Richard R. Colino and deputy director for business planning and external relations Jose L. Alegrett were told Sunday that they were not to come back to work until the investigation is complete.

Robert D. Leahy, a spokesman for Intelsat, would not say what transactions were questioned by Intelsat’s new auditors, the firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co.

He said Peat, Marwick was conducting a routine annual audit of Intelsat’s operations when it discovered what it thought to be a problem.

In 1985, Intelsat moved its headquarters to a $51-million glass-and-aluminum building on a Washington hillside. A second building is being built. Details of the authorization of payments and disbursement of money in connection with the contracts for these buildings would be part of this year’s audit.

Intelsat Chairman Tadashi Nishimoto, the representative of Japan’s KDD telephone system, was in Washington last Tuesday when a letter arrived from the outside auditors. After delving into the matter himself, he notified the other governors of the problem late last week and asked them to be prepared to consider the matter when they meet in Washington on Dec. 4.

John D. Hampton, deputy director general for operations and development was named acting

U.S. Officials Notified

Comsat, the U.S. member of Intelsat and owner of the largest percentage of Intelsat, issued a statement supporting the chairman’s action and concluding, “We look forward to a swift and conclusive inquiry.”

A spokesman said the matter was considered serious enough that officials of the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the State Department and key congressional committees were notified.

As director general, Colino, an American, was in charge of design, development, construction, establishment, operation and maintenance of the Intelsat global telecommunications satellite system. He was named to his post in 1983.

Alegrett, a Venezuelan citizen, was promoted to deputy director in 1983.