PAC seeks report from NAB about recoveries from politicians, others

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee has sought a report from the National Accountability Bureau regarding recoveries -- financial recoveries and adjustment recoveries -- made from politicians, bureaucracy, businessmen and other influential persons within a stipulated time of one month.

The PAC also sought a report from the NAB with regard to updates of the cases sent by the committee to the NAB within a stipulated time of one month. The PAC meeting was held with its Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain in the chair here on Thursday.

Seeking the report regarding recoveries made from politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other influential persons, the PAC also directed the NAB to submit the report about the plea-bargains made by the politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other influential persons. PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain expressed disappointment over the performance of NAB in cases sent by the PAC of different ministries and said it seems that only the cases of politicians were on NAB priority while cases sent by the committee were never touched by the bureau. He said the NAB used to make press statements that it recovered Rs400 billion but if they made the recovery, then details should be presented to the committee. “The committee sent the cases of corruption of ministries for probe, which hang in the balance,” he said. He said the NAB chairman is answerable to the Public Accounts Committee. Member PAC Khawaja Muhammad Asif said parliament is the supreme institution and instead of sending the cases to NAB or FIA, the PAC should probe it while seeking the reports from the ministries. “We should use our authority and don’t surrender the authority as whenever the case was sent to NAB, it did not yield any result,” he said. Senator Mushahid Hussain endorsed the suggestion of Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and said the PAC should take action itself. Ayaz Sadiq proposed that the report should be sought from the NAB with regard to recoveries and the NAB should tell how many recoveries were made from politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other influential persons and how much was the financial recovery and also about the adjustment recovery. “No one knows how much recovery was made from politicians or from bureaucrats by the NAB,” he said. On the proposals of Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the PAC sought a report from the overall recovery made by the NAB from politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and other influential persons either it be financial recovery or adjustment recovery. In the meanwhile, the PAC expressed its strong annoyance over the absence of the Controller General Accounts from the meeting and Chairman PAC Rana Tanveer Hussain did not allow the deputy controller to attend the meeting. Examining the audit paras relating to the National Logistics Cell, the secretary Planning and Development said the ministry was about to make a request to take back the NLC from the Ministry of Planning and Development as NLC was a powerful department.

Examining the audit paras relating to NLC, the audit officials told the committee that millions of rupees was provided to contractors while awarding the contracts in violation of PPRA rules. During the meeting, the audit officials complained that the NLC did not cooperate and even did not accept the Departmental Accounting Committee.

The NLC officials said they work with sincerity and NLC package one has been completed in which one Subedar was also martyred. “Our institution has a solid system of check and balance and have also sacked a lieutenant colonel and other persons involved in corruption,” the NLC officials said. The NLC officials negated the claim of audit officials and said the NLC co-operated with the DAC. The committee directed to recall the DAC on these objections. The audit report of the Ministry of Planning 20-2019 was also examined in the PAC meeting and audit officials said the NLC had awarded the contract for installation of escalators in Karachi Green Line BRTS without any tender and Rs96 crores was spent on the project.

The secretary Planning and Development said the NLC was with the Ministry on papers as NLC was an independent entity. The NLC officials said the Karachi Infrastructure Development Company stipulated that only Schindler's escalators be installed and law allows us to take this step. The PAC decided to seek the opinion of PPRA on the matter.

Examining another audit para, the audit officials said the NLC overpaid the contractors even though the work was not completed. The NLC paid over Rs178 million to several companies, including Habib Rafique and Khan Construction The NLC officials said the audit authorities made the audit paragraph based on one of our internal letters. “How the audit paragraph was made on one of our secret letters,” they asked. The PAC called for a detailed report on the matter.