PAC gasps at revelation of Senate chiefs’ car misuse

ISLAMABAD: Former and incumbent chairmen Senate are found guilty of misusing official cars. In its meeting on Wednesday, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) refused to condone the irregularity and asked the government to regularise the action, otherwise the accused would be charged and penalised.

The office of the Auditor General of Pakistan disclosed that former chairman Senate Muhammadmian Soomro and present chairman Farooq Naek had been using four luxury cars against an entitlement of one. Soomro’s squad included a Land Cruiser, a bulletproof Mercedes Benz gifted by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, another Mercedes Benz, and a Toyota Corolla.

The same vehicles are now in Naek’s use in clear violation of the “Salaries Allowances and Privileges Act 1975” that entitles the chairman and the speaker (of the Senate and the National Assembly) to the use of “one official car maintained at the government’s expense”.

“It is an established irregularity and cannot be condoned by the PAC,” said PAC chairman Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. He asked Secretary Senate Raja Amin to get the law division’s input on the matter and resolve it within a month otherwise the PAC would order recovery from the accused.

Raja Amin insisted that a Senate finance committee, headed by none other than the chairman Senate, authorised the former chairman to use more than one vehicle. He said that the vehicles were required for security as chairman Senate also fills in as acting president. However, in response it was pointed out that the president has a separate security convoy.

Amin’s comment that the Senate finance committee could supersede an act of Parliament made the PAC members angry and they challenged the claim.

Chairman Senate cannot authorise additional perks and privileges for himself, observed the PAC.

While a couple of committee members insisted charging Soomro and Naek, Chaudhry Nisar sent the case back to the departmental accounts committee for review and for the law division’s input. The final decision would be taken after a month.

“We want to save the present chairman from being sent behind bars, as on same charges high-ranking government officials have been subjected to corruption enquiries,” said Riaz Fatayna, a PAC member.

Nisar said that while the government tried to save the chairman Senate by amending the Act through Finance Act 2010, the amendment is applicable from July 1, 2010, and the chairman remains guilty of irregularly using the vehicles till June 30, 2010. He added that prior to the amendment, the finance committee did not have the authority to give additional perks and privileges, thus, both the former and the incumbent chairmen are guilty.

The PAC will also review amendment in the Finance Bill 2010, which empowered the Senate finance committee to allow its chairman to avail additional perks. Nisar said that when his party comes to power, it would undo the amendment as “it is a blot on transparency and financial responsibility”.

The committee also sought details regarding cars in use of cabinet ministers. The audit department said that against an entitlement of one car, every minister is using more than four cars. The PAC said that if accurate information is not provided, the secretaries would be summoned to explain the misuse of cars.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2010.