The Supreme Court Bar Association has come across the shortage of over Rs 8.9 million in the Bar’s Trust account.
The audit conducted on the Supreme Court Bar Association Trust money has come up Rs 8,901,763 short with the amount to be received on Rs 100 million bank deposits still unaccounted for. Bar sources have claimed the financial year 2009-10 audit is unable to account for the amount. The profits on the fixed deposits were to be spent on the lawyers for pensions, medical treatment and SCBA staff salaries.
The Trusts’ auditors have written to the SCBA’s Pension Cell Incharge to inform him of the missing money, which should have been part of the Rs 23,400,091 receivables on May 31.
The Bar’s Islamabad office, assigned to maintain accounts, is searching for the missing amounts’ record. In a June 26 meeting, the Islamabad office incharge assured SCBA officials of being able to produce the record.
The deposits were part of a Rs 100million grant was given by former President Pervez Musharraf to the then SCBA President Malik Muhammad Qayyum. The money was deposited in banks in the name of the trust being chaired by the current SCBA president. The pensions of deserving Supreme Court lawyers are paid from the interest at the rate of Rs 7500 each per month and their medical treatment. Currently, 51 lawyers are receiving pensions with the cases of 10 more being under consideration.
Upon contact, SCBA secretary Qamar Zaman Qureshi expressed concern over the mssing amount. He said the amounts record was being located.