SC registrar summoned over PAC’s demand to audit court’s accounts

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday has summoned the Supreme Court registrar for skipping the audit of the apex court for the last decade.

This was not the first time that PAC demanded to look into the SC’s accounts. Chairman of PAC Noor Alam Khan wondered why SC was denying the office of auditor general Pakistan, access to its accounts since the last 10 years.

The PAC chief has summoned the SC registrar after Eidul Fitr holidays. Last month, the PAC sought a record of salaries of the SC judges and other perks and privileges that they enjoy.

Furthermore, the PAC has also directed Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination to revoke powers, perks and privileges of administrator of Gun and Country Club, Naeem Bokhari, upon learning that he had denied the AGP access to records.

“Block his petrol card and he should not be allowed to use office of the gun club,” Mr Khan said.

The directions came after secretary, Inter Provincial Coordination (IPC) Ahmad Hanif Orakzai informed the committee that Mr Bokhari was running a one man show at Gun and Country Club (GCC).

“There is no financial discipline at Gun Club. We have asked the AGP to conduct a special audit of the Gun Club,” Mr Orakzai said. He is heading the temporary management committee of the GCC, formed by the SC. Mr Bokhari is also its member, and operates the club’s accounts.

PAC was also perturbed to learn about irregularities and embezzlement of funds amounting to more than Rs2 billion. Some of the blatant misappropriation of funds included irregular investment against directions of Finance Division of Rs320 million, variation in balances of club’s ledgers worth Rs54.3 million, Rs46 million in overstated amount in club’s ledgers, and non-payment of property tax amounting to Rs30.1 million.

Mr Khan declined a request from secretary IPC, to give Mr Bokhari a hearing. He showed interest in handing the case over to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), especially after assessing that Mr Orakzai was helpless in enforcing writ at GCC.

One Constitution

The PAC has also expressed displeasure with chairman of Capital Development Authority (CDA) Noorul Amin Mengal over failure to present details of plots given to judges, generals, prime ministers, parliamentarians, cabinet members, and bureaucrats.

However, Mr Mengal provided a list of 293 bureaucrats, who had been given plots in PHA Foundation, officers’ residence (Kuri Road).

Similarly, he demanded details of money trails of residents of One Constitution. “We want to know who were the original allottees, who are the owners now, where did their family members get the money to purchase such prime properties,” said Mr Khan and demanded money trails of officers in FIA who had been with the agency for more than three years.

He also directed Mr Mengal, who is chief commissioner Islamabad, to come up with measures to abolish the culture of security escorts moving in double cabins with people on roads.

Federal Lodges

The PAC directed Secretary (Housing and Works) Iftikhar Ali Shallwani to evict occupants living in Federal Lodges (Islamabad) illegally.

The federal lodges were meant for young 17 to 18 grade government officers posted from other cities to Islamabad. The officers were entitled to retain accommodation in federal lodges for up to a year and a half.

However, Housing and Works informed PAC that most occupants had been living in federal lodges since several years. “About 150 of them have obtained stay order against the government’s efforts to evict them,” Mr Ali told PAC.

The PAC observed that the courts were wrong to provide stay orders to occupants who had been living in these quarters in violation of the law.

PAC expressed dismay over financial irregularities in audit paras of Housing and Works that ran into billions. PAC handed most cases to FIA for inquiry. In some cases, Mr Khan directed secretary (IPC) to inquire and fix responsibilities in other cases.

Payment of mobilisation advance of Rs2.1 billion against invalid bank guarantee, loss of Rs1.5 billion on account of expenditure on sick projects, irregular bridge financing of Rs1.4 billion, and non-recovery of Rs458.2 million from defaulters of government accommodation were only some of the financial misappropriations observed by the audit.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2023