ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of foreign office’s illegal payments worth
Rs.497 million during the OIC moot of 1998-99, special committee of PAC
has summoned details of expenditure from FO.
The committee
convened by chairman Zayed Hamid on Wednesday, was briefed by audit
authorities about mostly unauthorized and illegally accrued expenses
accrued by foreign office on the hosting of OIC moot in 1998-99 in lieu
of such services as transportation and hotel arrangements for visiting
dignitaries; offering to have all audit confirmed in one month’s time.
The
audit committee also complained about foreign deputed/posted diplomats
taking official advance payments, and never returning back to Country.
Since their this action forfeited their pension allowances, the advance
taken was thus waived off.
PAC directed all ministries and
departments to ensure that no further official advances were given to
officials deputed abroad, without holding their assets as lien.
PAC
was also informed by auditors that secretary foreign affairs had
privileges / access to secret funds which were not audited, while
secretary FO distributed these funds to various foreign missions, while
audit authorities were simply informed through short notes.
The committee has directed foreign office to report the recoveries made, amount recovered, and reasons for any outstandings. Online
