Advertising agencies’ claims: Top accountant sets up investigation cell

Says all agencies’ claims should include proper documentation.

ISLAMABAD:

Following reports of improper authorisation, the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) has decided to establish a special cell to look into the payment of over Rs350 million to advertising agencies where the prime minister was accused of calling for a relaxation of established procedures.

A day after the prime minister assured that proper procedures will be followed in making all such payments, the AGPR on Friday said a special cell comprising experienced members of Press Information Department (PID) will look into the issue of claims by advertising agencies.

“The summary from the Prime Minister had been received through fax, which is not an official or authentic way of correspondence. We believe in original copy,” said the AGPR Shah Nawaz while talking to Express News.

The AGPR will not only ask for the No Objection Certificates, it will also ensure that claims by advertising agencies accompany invoices and original departmental release orders (DROs).

“All evidence will be considered and rules and regulations will be followed,” said Nawaz.

He added that his office returned a van laden with bills on Friday as it arrived at 3:30 pm and the AGPR does not issue tokens after 1 pm.

Last year, the then-Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, former Secretary Information Masnoor Suhail and an official of All Pakistan Newspapers Society had come for clearance of bills but “we refused to oblige them,” Nawaz said.

“If we did not allow improper or unauthorised payments earlier, we have the courage to say no again,” he added.

Earlier, the scandal surfaced with information that certain official documents showed the prime minister had allowed a one-time relaxation of rules under which advertising agencies were allowed to submit invoices and DROs to receive their claims. The letter issued by the ministry of information and broadcasting stated that the relaxation “would be for one time only … and shall not be quoted as precedence for any future payments.”

Outstanding claims

In January, a delegation of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) called on the prime minister and asked that dues of advertising agencies for the period from 2000 to 2008 be cleared. It was agreed that a committee comprising president APNS and Secretary Information be formed that will submit its recommendations.

In March, the committee made its recommendations which included that the Press Information Department (PID) would prepare the list of outstanding claims and that claims would be entertained where invoices and DROs are submitted. More important, the committee recommended that the information ministry would make payment of Rs422 million against these claims. However, a further exercise carried out by the information ministry to verify the claims brought down the figure to Rs357 million.

The information ministry then suggested in the letter that since the APNS was pursuing the matter vigorously, the PM should fulfill the claim as relations with the “APNS are put on stake which no government can afford.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2011.