PAC to probe financial mismanagement during Musharraf regime

Islamabad, Feb.21 (ANI): The ghost of huge financial mismanagement during General Pervez Musharraf's regime is out again to haunt the former President and his close associates.

The Pakistan's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has decided to constitute a sub-committee to investigate how 179 million rupees was spent by the Ministry of Culture on the verbal orders of Musharraf in 2005.

The sub-committee would be headed by Nadeem Afzal Chann, and would report back to the PAC with its findings after a month, The Dawn reports.

"Whosoever is responsible for this irregularity has to appear before the committee," the chairman of PAC was quoted, as saying.

According to sources, audit officials have pointed out that in July 2005 the management of Pakistan National Council of the Arts awarded the contract worth 179 million rupees of civil and plumbing works at the National Art Gallery (NAG) to MS Builders in violation of the Public Procurement Rules 2004.

Audit officials have also revealed that the contracts were awarded without inviting open tenders in the press as described in the Rule-12 of the Public Procurement Rules act.

The ministry had shortlisted pre-selected firms with bidding documents due to which many eligible companies were deprived of a chance to participate.(ANI)