Pakistan

Irregularities, mismanagement: TVO comes under FIA’s scanner

The inquiry has been initiated on Supreme Court’s order.

Peer Muhammad October 13, 2012 1 min read

ISLAMABAD:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday initiated an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and mismanagement in the affairs of the Trust for Volunteer Organisation (TVO).

An official of the FIA anti-corruption unit said that the Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the situation last month after the issue was highlighted in media reports. A former TVO official also confirmed the development, saying that he had been questioned by an FIA investigator.

According to official sources, only 20% of the grants at TVO are spent on executing programmes while the remaining 80% are used for administrative affairs. At present, the organisation is funding projects worth Rs1.3 billion.

Last year, the organisation got around Rs90 million, out of which Rs70 million were spent on administrative affairs. In 2010, TVO spent Rs82 million in operation costs against an income of Rs102 million, according to official documents.

The organisation was established in 1990 with a grant of Rs520 million by the Pakistan government and $30 million by the US government.

However, except for the initial stages when it was headed by known figures like Begum Nusrat Bhutto and Begum Zari Sarfraz, the trust’s administrators have not played by the rules. The organisation’s performance has plummeted in the past five years, according to sources.

Moreover, the organisation’s board members have been receiving honorarium to attend board meetings in violation of the trust’s bylaws, added sources. Senior officers of the Economic Affairs Division have also been receiving the honorarium, despite the fact that attending the meetings is a part of their official duty.

Sources alleged that genuine community participation in TVO-funded projects is weak, as some board members are among the beneficiaries of the grants. Another official said that due to TVO’s dismal performance, board members never allowed the management to conduct an audit. When former chief executive officer Sajjad Baqar tried to conduct an external audit and evaluation, he was terminated by the board of directors.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13^th, 2012.