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Focus on alliance era audit objection

PAC decides to deal with Tk 4,617cr disputes

Shakhawat Liton
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will examine audit objections involving Tk 4,617 crore in seven years till December 2007 to help recovery of the public funds feared misappropriated.
The decision came yesterday at the inaugural meeting of the parliamentary I body formed on February 18.
The Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) office placed a report before the committee meeting at the JatiyaSangsad Bhaban, said sources. To expedite matters, it recommends that PAC form four sub-committees to examine the objections to different ministries' expenditure during the period mentioned.
It also suggests setting up a committee to oversee implementation of the PAC recommendations.
In the report, CAG's office notes that as many as 100 audit reports with 1,899 objections involving Tk 4,617.71 crore remain unexamined.
Most of the objections were raised during the BNP-led four-party alliance
rule since October 10,2001 to October 29, 2006. Some were brought up during the tenures of the immediate past caretaker government and the last AL government.
Besides, work is on to make recommendations on how should PAC go about the audit objections raised between 1972 and 2000, says the CAG report.
The audit objections of the last seven years in particular hint at massive financial irregularities in different ministries and call for immediate attention of the parliamentary body, it adds. Talking to The Daily Star over phone yesterday, PAC Chairman KH Rashiduzzaman said it would help recover public money if the committee could unearth the cases of embezzlement, if there’s any.
Enquired why the emphasis is more on the last seven years, he said, "Taking disciplinary measures after examining the audit objections that are decades old might prove difficult as many of the individuals responsible for anomalies and misuse of public money might have already died.”
About the CAG recommen-dation to form subcommittees, he said they would decide on it later. "If necessary, we will form subcommittees."
About the fate of a huge number of unresolved audit objections before 2000, Rashiduzzaman said they would discuss the matter.
Earlier, coming out of the meeting he told reporters that PAC would give priority to scrutinising the objections to the government expenditure on power, energy and water.
"People are suffering immensely for power, gas, and water crises. So, we have decided to prioritise scrutiny of the audit objections regarding spending in these sectors," hesaid.
The CAG report also suggests that the committee review implementation of the decisions taken by PACs in the previous three parliaments.
The then public accounts committees had directed the ministries concerned to recover the money embezzled.