Audit of Punjab LCs shows Rs 161 billion embezzlement

A special audit ordered by the present provincial government into the accounts of Punjab local councils has detected financial misappropriation and irregularities of Rs 1.2 billion in Layyah, Rs 1.4 billion in Bhakkar, Rs 1.5 billion in Multan, Rs 413 million in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur Rs 1.36 billion, Lodhran Rs 720 million, Pakpattan Rs 527.9 million, Vehari Rs 1.85 billion and Sahiwal Rs 743 million over the last three years.
Khanewal district government allegedly frittered away Rs 8.7 billion. A colossal sum of Rs 161 billion was misappropriated it is reliably learnt on Thursday. The final special audit report was presented at a recent meeting of the Punjab cabinet, an insider disclosed. Of the total damage to the public exchequer, city and district governments and an amount of Rs 67.19 billion wasted or embezzled by the Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs) lost a sum of Rs 93.9 billion.
A loss of Rs 10.3 billion was detected in the Lahore City District Government, Rs 414.7 million in Gujranwala, Rs 3.5 billion in Faisalabad, Rs 1.5 billion in Multan, Rs 3.1 billion in Rawalpindi and Rs 1.4 billion in Bhakkar. By the same token, a loss of Rs 592 was unearthed in Narowal, Rs 541 million in Sialkot, Rs 1.2 billion in Layyah, Rs 11.7 million in Chakwal, Rs 413 million in Dera Ghazi Khan, Rs 1.8 billion in Attock and Rs 288 million in Gujarat.
The loss was incurred under the heads of doubtful or non-transparent expenditures or suspected misappropriation or embezzlement, unauthorised, unjustified or wasted expenses, the papers suggested. The local councils have also been accused of irregular or invalid expenditures, overpayments, non-deductions of government dues, doubtful payments or allocations for different projects, miscellaneous anomalies (production of record, reconciliation of accounts, etc) and loss in own-source revenue or misuse of authority.
Last month, the Punjab government released partial special audit report that claimed the public exchequer was robbed of more than Rs 52 billion during the past eight years. The present report on the affairs of Punjab local councils, covering the last three years, is final. The source said a number of cases based on the final report were being referred to the Punjab anti-corruption establishment for further probe and ultimate prosecution of the culprits.
He added several arrests might take place in near future. According to the audit report, the Khanewal city district government allegedly frittered away Rs 8.7 billion, Rajanpur Rs 1.36 billion, Lodhran Rs 720 million, Pakpattan Rs 527.9 million, Vehari Rs 1.85 billion and Sahiwal Rs 743 million.
The 23 TMAs of the Lahore Division suffered a loss of Rs 9 billion, 15 TMAs of the Faisalabad Division Rs 5.644 billion, 22 TMAs of Gujranwala Division Rs 8.55 billion, 22 TMAs of the Rawalpindi Division Rs 25.39 billion, 19 TMAs of the Multan Division Rs 6.29 billion, 15 TMAs of the Sargodha Division Rs 4.17 billion, 13 TMAs of the Dera Ghazi Khan Division Rs 2.39 billion and 15 TMAs of the Bahawalpur Division Rs 5.6 billion.
Among the TMAs, the Murree council allegedly inflicted the heaviest loss of Rs 10.9 billion on the public exchequer. Other top loss-incurring entities included the TMAs of Sheikhupura (Rs 1.264 billion), Iqbal Town (Rs 1 billion), Lyallpur Town, Faisalabad (Rs 2.1 billion), Gujarat (Rs 1.5 billion), Sialkot (Rs 1.49 billion), Jhelum (Rs 7.1 billion), Rawal Town, Rawalpindi (Rs 2.34 billion), Shah Rukn-e-Alam Town, Multan (Rs 1.4 billion) and Chunian (Rs 1 billion).