Audit report: ‘QAU squandered Rs1.52m on unauthorised appointments’

Two Area Study Centre teachers were hired against rules; VC admits.

ISLAMABAD:

The Quaid-i-Azam University has squandered Rs1.52 million in illegal appointments in its Area Study Centre  (QAU-ASC), Auditor General of Pakistan has revealed.

In its 2011-12 report, the AGP has found that the centre appointed Dr Hans Frey from November 1, 2008 to April 30, 2010 and reappointed him from May 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011 to a post that was not advertised in the press and was made without the approval of Board of Governors (BOG). The same applies for the appointment of Mir Anice Mehmood from March 3, 2010 to June 30, 2011.

The report observed that during their contractual services, Dr Frey and Mehmood were paid Rs48,000 and Rs103,000 respectively as visiting faculty members for QAU-ASC of Africa, North and South America. This is unauthorised and counts as an irregularity because they had already been hired for specific services, the report adds.

In a meeting on July 8, 2011, the BOG also termed these appointments as illegal and unlawful. The report says that the irregular appointments have resulted in financial losses and the expenditure of Rs1.52 million on salaries for both of the illegal appointees.

Dr Frey has been paid a total amount of Rs0.99 million as salary, while Rs0.53 million was paid to Mehmood.

When contacted, QAU Vice Chancellor Masoom Yasinzai said the Area Study Centre was run by its director Rokhsana Qamber when he took charge as VC of the university. When he came to know that there were irregularities, he called a BOG meeting and removed her from the post. Yasinzai admitted that the appointments of the two persons were illegal and that both the persons were overage.

He said Qamber also committed other irregularities including purchasing a car worth Rs1.3 million without approval. The VC said she also visited the UN at least three times without approval from the authorities, while adding that Qamber has gone to court against the BOG decision to remove her.

Yasinzai said he himself had asked the AG to conduct an audit of the centre for the previous six years. The Area Study Centre was previously under the education ministry.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2012.