ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has recommended recovery of Rs 1.14 million from the former Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) chairman along with fixing responsibility for committing the crime.
AGP annual report read that the former GPA chairman, a Grade-20 officer, was paid Rs 1.14 million on account of a three-day tour to Singapore, but he claimed daily allowance for nine days.
“As the rule 13.1 of the manual of travelling allowance states that when travelling abroad by air, road or sea, each officer will be entitled to actual cost of passage by public transport in accordance with the class of accommodation to which he is entitled,” the report added.
It also read that issue was brought in the notice of GPA management through the Ports and Shipping Ministry secretary some two years back, but the department neither replied nor convened a meeting of the departmental accounts committee (DAC), despite numerous reminders.
“Therefore the audit has recommended recovery of paid amount besides fixing of responsibility on persons at fault,” the report read, adding that annual audited accounts of organisations for every fiscal year were to be provided to the Directorate of General Commercial Audit by December 31, but GPA in contrary did not provide audited accounts by the prescribed date.
The report said that thus the audit recommended investigation and fixation of responsibility on persons at fault for non-finalisation of accounts and to make efforts to provide the accounts at the earliest along with strengthening the internal accounts to avoid recurrence of such practices in the future.