Islamabad:
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Sub -Committee was informed on Tuesday of financial discrepancies within the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) as it turned out that federal receipts of RS18,965 million remain unhealthy.
The subcommittee, chairman of MNA Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, ordered a department of departmental accounts (DAC) to be held again to solve the problem.
According to audit officials, the irregularities were first marked in the Audit Report 2005-06, which pointed to discrepancies in examination fees during 2004-05.
The audit authorities stated that although FPSC had collected exam fees from candidates, the receipts had not been reconciled with the national treasury.
“FPSC deposited the exam fees, but did not obtain verification from the Treasury,” the audit team reported, adding that RS18.9 million in receipts could not be reconciled with the Federal Ministry of Finance, a clear violation of the government’s rules.
A briefing revealed that although discussions had been held between the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and FPSC, and despite long -term consultations involving the Finance Division, the establishment department and NBP, the question remained unresolved.
FPSC representatives explained that conciliatory receipts from thousands of bank branches were practically impossible and that registrations of fee deposits from 20 years ago were no longer available. They added that “the problems that are facing at the time have since been treated”.
The subcommittee instructed the affected departments to convene another DAC meeting to settle the case and submit a status report.
During the session, the audit paras related to the Ministry of Justice were also reviewed, including objections to illegal appointments and release of RS100 million to lawyers in 2007-08.
The Law Secretary clarified that the amount was released to the Supreme Court’s Lawyers’ Association (SCBA) for its benevolent fund in which they stated that all legal and administrative requirements were met. “There was nothing illegal about the payment; it was duly treated through proper channels,” he said.
However, a representative of the Ministry of Finance informed the committee that the case had only been referred to them on the previous day and promised to investigate it in detail.
President Tariq Fazal Chaudhry expressed concern about the weak representation of the Finance Department in the PAC procedure, announcing that a letter would be written to the Financial Secretary to ensure that competent officers attend future meetings.
The committee ordered Law’s Ministry to submit a written response to the audit para, after which the case was decided.
