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The National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday observed that the local sugar industry had created a strong cartel in the country which fluctuate sugar prices whenever it wants. The committee noted this during its meeting held here with Nadeem Afzal Chan in the chair.
The committee noted that sugar industry can take refine sugar prices at any level and the government was unable to break the cartel. The committee took various issues of irregularities in the Commerce Ministry and asked the official concerned to provide necessary details regarding embezzlements in various attached departments of the ministry.
The PAC asked the officials of the National Tariff Commission (NTC) what action had been taken against the officials involved in the embezzlement of Rs 24.05 million in year 2008-09. The committee was informed that so far action had been taken against four persons involved in the case, which included a peon, a cashier, a stenographer and another junior official after conducting departmental inquiry.
Chan and other members of the committee asked Zafar Mehmood Secretary Ministry of Commerce about the credibility of the inquiry report. Mehmood said the inquiry was conducted by a senior official and over one million rupees were recovered from the account of a peon, who at present was suspended. The committee, while showing dissatisfaction over the inquiry report, directed the relevant officials to conduct a fresh inquiry and to fix the responsibility on real culprits involved in the scam, saying that how a junior official like a peon could manage this.
The NTC falls under the Ministry of Commerce maintained lapsable Personal Ledger Account (PLA) with the Federal Territory Office (FTO) Islamabad until December 2008 and an assignment account from January 2009 to June 2009. The audit observed an embezzlement of public money amounting to Rs 24.05 million during the FY 2000-01 to FY 2008-09.
PAC directed the officials of the Export Development Fund (EDF) to regularise the unauthorised bank account in Karachi under the title National Income Product Account (NIDA) No 2003-08 within 15 days, which is operating since 2002. It also sought the details of the Rs 100.42 million, which were spent from NIDA account and details of the expenditures, are not available. The committee directed the officials to provide it the details of the Rs 93 million expenditure on city development activities and Rs 45.28 million expenditure details on foreign trade institute of Pakistan.
Taking to task the management of State Life Insurance Corporation, the committee members noted that despite passage of 17 years the company has been failed in fixing the responsibility of losing Rs 21.29 million interest income due to imprudent investment of Rs 26.6 million in M/s Long Term Venture (LTV) Capital Modaraba Limited.
Secretary Commerce assured the committee that the government would hold proper inquiry into the matter and all the details would be submitted to PAC within 15 days. PAC also directed the top management of the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan (SLIC) to give it the details of all the assets.
According to an audit paras, the SLIC in 2002 despite ban purchased 44 new corolla cars costing Rs 38.677 million, which was irregular and unjustified. PAC directed the SLIC management to get approval of the Prime Minister regarding the purchase of the cars in case the SILC is remaining unable to get approval of the PM as per rules PAC would direct the government to take necessary action.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2012

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