By(passing) the book: Accountant General removed for ‘exceeding authority, not meeting eligibility criterion’

Zahid Rashid was made AGP in ‘violation of rules’.

LAHORE:

The Controller General of Accounts (CGA) on Friday removed Zahid Rashid as Accountant General of Punjab (AGP) for alleged abuse of authority and also because he did not meet the eligibility criterion for the post, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The CGA issued a notification, declaring Rashid’s appointment illegal and gave additional charge of AGP to Ghazanfar Mehdi, the accounts works director general.

The Auditor General of Pakistan appointed Rashid as AGP on May 20, even though the appointment was the CGA’s prerogative. Rashid was a grade 19 officer of the Audit and Accounts Service whereas rules demand that the AGP office should be held by a grade 21 officer.

“Rashid also transferred three district account officers in Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Sahiwal and posted men of his choice there even though he lacked authority to order such transfers and postings,” an official at the AGP office said on condition of anonymity.

When the government resisted the appointments, Rashid suspended in the three districts the operation of SAP/R-3, a software that deals with payment authorisation, a Finance Department official said, who also requested that he should not be identified

SAP/R-3 is a computerised system used for authorisation of public payments, including development, non-development funds, salaries, allowances, pension and general provident funds. The system is operated from the AGP office.

“Rashid transferred 50 senior auditors, auditors, accounts officers and assistant accounts officers in his 36-day tenure. They were allegedly replaced by corrupt officials,” said the official from the AGP office.

The sacked AGP had also posed problems for the Finance Department by issuing a deadline for submission of different bills and cheques, which was not his prerogative. On June 19, the Finance Department additional secretary had written a letter to the AGP informing him that a large number of bills and cheques were pilling up due to the suspension of SAP/R-3.

“The closure hampers the utilisation of funds and consequently impedes the development process in the province,” the additional secretary had said in the letter.

“The finance secretary had also written a letter to Rashid on June 16, asking him to restore the system,” the Finance Department official said.

In another letter, the finance secretary had informed Rashid that the AGP office had declined claims submitted after June 16, which was not in consonance with the Finance Department’s instructions. “The AGP had neither restored the system nor replied to the letters,” said the official.

On June 9, the CGA wrote to the AGP, stating that he had abused his powers by transferring the district account officers. It then cancelled the transfer orders and declared Rashid’s appointment unlawful. Separately, the Punjab government had requested the federal government to remove Rashid from office for closing SAP/R-3 and abusing his powers.

On Friday, contractors and employees protested against Rashid at the AGP office.

The Express Tribune contacted Rashid for his views but he declined comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2014.