Pakistan

SC clarifies reports about 10-year audit 'delay' of financial records

Top court corrects 'misleading' information; says audit completed till June 30, 2021, underway for 2021-22

Our Correspondent April 19, 2023

A general view of the Supreme Court of Pakistan building at the evening hours, in Islamabad, Pakistan April 7, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court (SC) issued a clarification on Wednesday regarding its financial records not being audited for the past 10 years, stating that the top court's audit was complete up to June 30, 2021, and was under process for fiscasl 2021-2022.

The statement comes a day after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament again summoned the SC’s registrar for not conducting an audit of the SC’s financial records. PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan observed that the top court had not had its financial records audited for the past 10 years.

Today’s press release by the top court “clarified in concrete terms” that the reports of a lack of audits were “contrary to the facts, incorrect, misleading”, and were placed before the PAC “based on erroneous information”.

It maintained that the “audit for the financial year 2021-2022 is under process and can be confirmed from the office of the Auditor General of Pakistan” (AGP).

Prior PAC summons

Last month, the PAC ordered the AGP to audit the Supreme Court’s budget and submit a comprehensive report on salaries, perks and privileges, and plots allotted to judges of the apex court.

Read Stay orders for ‘corrupt’ officers irks PAC

PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan directed AGP Muhammad Ajmal Gondal to submit the report by March 30, saying the matter has already been delayed a lot and no further time would be given.

The PAC chairman’s direction came after he recalled that the AGP has not yet submitted the report about the apex court’s audit despite the committee’s earlier directions.

“We don’t even know how much salary the judges are drawing,” Noor said, reminding Gondal that the accountability forum of the parliament was still awaiting a response in this regard.

“AGP sahib, the Public Accounts Committee wants to ask where and how much public and government money is being spent, how much salary is being given [to the judges], and what perks and privileges are being given to them,” he inquired.