Vehicles worth Rs189m doled out to politicians: audit report

Author: By Rana Mushtaq

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Industries and Production doled out 25 luxurious vehicles to politicians and several non-government organisations (NGOs) in violation of rules during the tenure of the previous government. This caused an accumulated loss of more than Rs189 million to the national exchequer, an audit report available with Daily Times has revealed.

The documents show that former industries and production minister distributed the vehicles among several parliamentarians and NGOs.

In its report, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) stated that the Ministry of Industries and Production had no business to procure luxurious vehicles from the national exchequer and to distribute them among politicians on party basis. The report called the expenditure illegal and irregular. The report stated that Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules were “blatantly” flouted in the purchase. “The purchases were neither advertised nor a competitive procedure was adopted by the committee that bought these vehicles,” the report said.

The AGP has directed punitive action against all government functionaries involved in the purchases. The report has also directed the officials concerned to recover the losses from the beneficiaries by taking legal action against them.

The report stated that the ministry had procured more than 200 auto rickshaws at a cost of Rs33.1 million and allegedly handed them over to the then Ports and Shipping state minister, Nabeel Gabol. The Audit department repeatedly asked the ministry and Gabol to furnish details of the beneficiaries, but no such information was provided.

According to the report, the ministry procured six mini coaches and five buses at a cost of Rs60 million and gifted them to politicians.

The ministry also procured a bus at a cost of Rs4.9 million and handed it over to a Muzaffargarh NGO in violation of rules and procedures, the document stated.

Another NGO based in Karachi was given five buses worth Rs30 million. However, no details were provided about the NGO. Two other NGOs based in Karachi were also given eight coaches and seven buses by the ministry in 2011 in violation of its own rules, the report said.