PAC concerned at NAB’s performance

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Tuesday summoned National Accountability Bureau Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal for detailed briefing on April 10, with regard to overall performance of NAB as well as the details of pending cases in the accountability courts and also pendency of the inquiries in NAB.

The PAC asked for briefing from the Chairman NAB after it expresses its concern over the pendency of inquiries and probes as well cases in the courts and even Chairman PAC Khursheed Shah remarked that the way the NAB was working it would be better that country’s other anti-corruption departments continue to do their task.

While the audit paras of irregularities of over Rs11.66 billion of the Higher Eduction Commission was also presented before the PAC.

The PAC held in its meeting Tuesday with the chair of its Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah in which audit Paras relation Aviation Division and Higher Education Commission for the financial year 2016-17 were examined.

While examining the audit Paras relating Aviation Division, Chairman PAC Syed Khursheed Shah observed that General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf inaugurated the construction of new Islamabad Airport without the approval of PC-1 of the project and Rs1 billion was only spent for the land levelling for the inaugural.

The Audit officials told the committee that that Civil Aviation Authority has awarded irregular award of work to ineligible contractor/firm for the new Islamabad airport of Rs664.05 million M/s AAB-Mega Engineering JV and afterthe NAB inquiry it was established that it was awarded illegally. The NAB officials told the committee that statement of Chief Operating Officer of the company had been recorded. The PAC questioned about the reasons of delay in completion of the inquiry. NAB officials said office of Chairman NAB was vacant when the NAB got an inquiry but now it would be completed on time.

PAC member Shafqat Mehmood observed that whenever cases for the inquiry referred to NAB with time limit of four months, the Bureau never met the deadline of the completion of the inquiries. “NAB was tasked to probe the public money corruption cases and it should give detail briefing as we wanted that the cases in which the public money involved should not be delayed,” he said.

Khursheed remarked that the way the NAB was working it would be better that country’s other anti-corruption departments continue to do their task.

The PAC chairman said there was 25 per cent commission of NAB on the recovery of looted amount. The PAC has settled the audit para relating to National Book Foundation with regard to payment of medical allowances of Rs34.97 million to the staff and officers of the National Book Foundation.

The PAC chairman remarked that if the medical allowances were availed by the employees of the National Book Foundation then it should be settled and proposed for the provision of the same facilities which were availed by employees of other educational boards of the country. The audit paras of irregularities of Rs11.66 billion in the Higher Education Commission also came under examination in the meeting.

While examining the audit para, the Audit officials told the committee that two major universities of the country—COMSATS Institute of IT Lahore and QAU did not maintain of assignment accounts for the development funds of Rs1.67 billion.

The audit noted that the COMSATS Institute of IT Lahore got approved PAC-1 for Development f Academic & Supports Facilities valuing Rs684.518 million as the project was financed by the HEC. PSDP funds amounting to Rs632.163 million were released for 2016-17 against the PC-1 and the authority placed the funds in a commercial bank instead of opening of Assignment account in National Bank. The Audit noted that Quaid-i-Azam University got approved PC-1 for Expansion Programme-I Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad valuing Rs856.343 million and the funds amounting to Rs456.343 million were released for 2016-17 against the PC-1 and the university placed the funds in accounts with a commercial bank.

The Audit held that placement of the development funds in the private banks was violation of rules, which resulted into non-maintenances of assignment account for development funds amounting to Rs456.363 million. The officials of both the universities said accounts in the private banks were open on the basis of misunderstanding and now the accounts were opened in NBP. Khursheed also sought details of grants given to universities by the HEC for the PhD and questioned that why the universities were not allowed for the selection of candidates for the PhD programmes.