Public Accounts Committee summons SC registrar today with the 10-year audit report
ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee has summoned the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan with a 10-year audit record. MNA Noor Alam Khan is the chairman of the PAC.
The SC Registrar is the principal accounting officer of the apex court. The PAC had earlier directed the SC Registrar to investigate the court expenditures from 2010-22 to 2020-21.
As per the law, the Public Accounts Committee issues a notice to the SC registrar under Rule 203 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, to appear before the committee on Tuesday (May 16).
Meanwhile, the PAC also summoned the federal secretaries of finance, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, the Ministry of Law, the chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and the director general (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in today’s meeting.
According to the Rule 203 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, “The Committee shall examine the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by the Assembly for the expenditure of the Government. The PAC can also examine the annual financial accounts of the Government, the report of the Auditor-General of Pakistan, and such other matters as the Minister for Finance may refer to it.
(2) “In scrutinizing the appropriation accounts of the Government and the reports of the Auditor-General of Pakistan thereon it shall be the duty of the Committee to satisfy itself- (a) that the money shown in the accounts as having been disbursed were legally available for, and applicable to the service or purpose to which they have been applied or charged; (b) that the expenditure conforms to the authority which governs it; and (c) that every re-appropriation has been made in accordance with the provisions made in this behalf under rules framed by the Ministry of Finance.
(3) “It shall also be the duty of the Committee- (a) to examine the statement of accounts showing the income and expenditure of state corporations, trading and manufacturing schemes, concerns and projects together with the balance sheets and statements of profit and loss accounts which the President may have required to be prepared or are prepared under the provisions of the statutory rules regulating the financing of a particular corporation trading or manufacturing scheme or concern or project and the report of the Auditor-General of Pakistan thereon;
(b) “to examine the statement of accounts showing the income and expenditure of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, the audit of which may be conducted by the Auditor-General of Pakistan either under the directions of the President or under an Act of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), and (c) to consider the report of the Auditor-General of Pakistan in cases where the President may have required him to conduct the audit of any receipt or to examine the accounts of stores and stocks.
(4) “If any money has been spent on any service during a financial year in excess of the amount granted by the Assembly for that purpose, the Committee shall examine with reference to the facts of each case the circumstances leading to such an excess and make such recommendation as it may deem fit.
(5) “The report of the Committee shall be presented within a period of one year from the date on which reference was made to it by the Assembly unless the Assembly, on a motion being made, directs that the time for the presentation of the report be extended to a date specified in the motion: Provided that extension in the time for the presentation of the report shall be asked for before the expiry of the time allowed under the rule.
