Audit officers on contract: Fired, but still paid

Audit officers receive their salaries and privileges in spite of contracts having been terminated two years back.

PESHAWAR: Audit officers, numbering 78, contracted by the office of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) are receiving their grade 18 salaries and privileges in spite of their contracts having been terminated two years back. The amount being paid from the national exchequer per month exceeds Rs2.35 million.

The officers were initially hired in 2007 on grade 17 and were promoted thereafter. The officers’ tenure was extended for two years with the termination date being January 2009. These audit officers include 15 from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, one from Islamabad, 31 from Punjab, 17 from Sindh an d nine from Balochistan, with each one drawing a monthly salary of Rs30,140. The officers receive additional compensation under the head of transport allowance/daily allowance (TA/DA). More than Rs56.4 million have been disbursed as salary during the last two years to these officers.

While the officers have not received any training for this job, with some having failed their training tests, they continue to be assigned audits of departments.

The additional accountant general of the AGP Islamabad Dr Fawwad said that he is not authorised to stop payments to the officers unless he receives a notification.

The auditor general audit Muhammad Tariq when questioned as to why these officers were still being given audit programmes, said their case is being heard in a court. The factual position however is different; the court had advised the institution in 2009 to clarify its position and get a date for hearing; to date the orders have not been followed through and the court has not been contacted since.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25^th, 2010.