PAC unearths Rs37m graft in BISP funds

A total of 324 officials from Grade 1 to Grade 22 implicated in scandal, AG tells National Assembly body

Auditor General (AG) of Pakistan apprised National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday of over Rs37 million embezzlement by government officials in Benazir Income Support Programme funds. 

PAC members were told that a total of 324 officials from Grade 1 to Grade 22 are implicated in the scandal. 

The committee decided that the AG should be sent all the data of these government employees and money should be recovered from their salaries. The FIA should conduct the inquiry quickly and file criminal cases, opined committee members. Guilty officers should be terminated, they added. 

BISP officials informed the committee of another blunder, where 84 individuals receiving money were, in reality, deceased. They told the committee that they were in contact with banks to review how such payments were made.

Yet another fraud case surfaced, costing the BISP Rs13.72m. The amount was disbursed through fake biometric verifications across multiple tehsils, the committee was told. 

Read: Rs141b BISP fraud exposed in audit

Further revelations of financial mismanagement emerged as Rs80.508m in BISP funds were reportedly disbursed to ineligible individuals. BISP officials assured the committee that recovery efforts were underway.

Meanwhile, audit reports of the Poverty Alleviation Division for the years 2020-21, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023, revealed financial irregularities worth Rs96b, the committee was informed.

It was concluded that many recipients of the funds had inactive accounts. The committee members decided that from now if there is no activity in the beneficiary's account for nine months, then the sent amount should be retrieved.

BISP individuals have been embroiled in financial fraud many times over the years, with a fraud amounting to Rs141b being discovered earlier this year. In 2020, an investigation was initiated against 2,700 BISP officers for financial crimes.