AGP questions Rs44m payment to private lawyers by Sindh govt

The Sindh government has revealed payments of over Rs44 million for services rendered by private lawyers, according to the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), who has raised questions on the hiring of private legal services.

The payments were disclosed during the audit of the Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Criminal Prosecution Department for the fiscal year 2022-23.

According to the report, a sum of Rs44.7 million was paid to private lawyers for their services. The Prosecutor General's Office paid Rs36.8 million to private lawyers for their services. The payments were made during the fiscal years 2021-22 and 2022-23. The AGP's Office paid Rs7.8 million during the fiscal year 2022-23. The hiring of employees or legal prosecutors on a contract basis violates the Supreme Court order of 2017. There is no record of any appointment order for contract employees. It is difficult to verify payments without a legal fee scale.

Information regarding the private lawyers, their performance, or case-related details is also not available. The Prosecutor General's Office has stated that the appointment of legal prosecutors on a contract basis was made by the Sindh Home Department.

The provincial chief minister approved a budget transfer for Rangers special prosecutors in 2016. The AGP's Office stated that the services of private lawyers had been acquired as 'Advocates on Record.' The private lawyers were hired to carry out administrative duties. The District Accounts Committee was not provided with the relevant records.