The Sub-Committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Monday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit their investigation reports within one month regarding recovery of 1.04 million pounds illegally received by former High Commissioner to UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan.
The Implementation Committee of the PAC, which met here with Rana Afzaal Hussain in the chair, discussed the audit report of Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the year 1996-97.
Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) officials informed the committee that former High Commissioner to United Kingdom had got 1.04 million pound in an illegal way.
The PAC, they said, had referred five cases to related to the tenure of Wajid Shamsul Hasan to the NAB and one to the FIA and the audit officials had no record regarding the same.
The AGP officials said a cheque of 437,000 pounds was received from the former Higher Commissioner, but neither this nor the relevant record had been shown to the audit.
A NAB official, however, told the committee that they were not provided the relevant record despite repeated requests. The committee, he said, was informed on July 31, 2015 that the Bureau was helpless because the relevant record of the misappropriated funds and recovery was not available with it.
Foreign Affairs officials told the committee that they already had provided all the available record to the AGP and NAB and they had no more record with them.
According to an audit report, a cheque amounting to 200,000 pounds was issued in the name of high commissioner. This cheque was issued in violation of general financial rules and moreover, it was credited to his personal account without indicating the purpose of payment.
The high commissioner also drew $100,000 in his name out of CENTO funds and this irregularity was pointed out in May 1997.
An amount of $27,793 was drawn by the high commissioner on account of entertanment allowance. The disbursement of entertainment allowance was made without submission of vouchers.
The audit further informed that an aircraft was chartered for head of the mission and three other officers on September 28, 1996, at total expenditure of 1486.38 pound sterling to proceed to Black Pool for attending a Labour Party Conference.
The expenditure incurred on this account was unjustified as the officers could easily move by staff car or travel by air.
The audit observed that an expenditure of 22,941 pound sterling was incurred out of sumptuary allowance for the purpose other than specified in the rules on entertainment of Pakistan dignitaries.
Eight cheques amounting to 734,021 pound sterling were issued to the high commissioner during April to August 1996 for payment to weekly magazine “Asia Voice” on accounts of projecting Pakistan Activities and National lobbying on Kashmir. These payments, audit pointed out, were credited to his personal account by the officer in disregard to the financial rules.
