PAC refers ex-diplomat’s case to FIA, NAB

Colleague terms charges fake

ISLAMABAD: Having been told that Pakistan’s former high commissioner in the United Kingdom has made irregular and illegal payments of lakhs of pounds, a sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit report of recoveries they have made from Wajid Shamsul Hasan within three months.

The Sub-Committee of the PAC on Implementation and Monitoring held its meeting Monday with the chair of its Chairman Rana Afzaal Hussain in which audit paras relating to the Ministry of Interior for fiscal year 1996-97 were discussed.

While Wajid was not available for comment, one of his close colleagues declared all the charges of illegal use of money by former HC as wrong. He said the falseness of the allegations is evident from the fact that these belonged to distant past. He said everything is on record and charges are fake and baseless. 

The audit officials told the committee that five cases against the former high commissioner were referred to the NAB and FIA but no record was provided to the audit department for verification.

The audit officials told the committee that they had raised objections on a cheque worth 437,000 pounds issued to Hassan but the Foreign Office did not provide any record.

The audit officials told the committee that this issue was conveyed to committee on July 31 but so far no record was provided. They said another cheque of 200,000 pounds was issued to the former high commissioner in violation of general financial rules. They said 100,000 pounds was withdrawn from Sento funds and another 27,793 pounds from the Entertainment Allowance but their vouchers were not provided to the audit department.

The audit officials told the committee that on September 28, 1996, an aircraft was chartered to attend a conference of the Labour Party of the UK costing 1,486 pounds and these expenses were illegally made as the conference could be attended traveling through staff car.

The audit officials told the sub-committee that from April to August in 1996, a payment of more than 700,000 pounds was made to weekly Asia Voice for Pakistan’s projection through 8 cheuqes and it is clear violation of rules.