Embezzlement of Rs 751,630 in Ministry of Science: Ministry directed to recover amount

National Assembly's sub-committee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday in a review of Ministry of Science and Technology for the year 1994-95 directed the ministry to expedite the recovery of Rs 751,630 embezzled by an Administrative Officer, working for Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) in 1998.
According to detail, an admin officer of the PCSIR chairman secretariat at Islamabad up till 1988 due to lack of proper internal checks and controls, has embezzled a total of Rs 751,630 drawn by him on different occasions.
The officer by satisfying the departmental enquiry absconded from service and was subsequently dismissed in absentia. Audit feels that instead of lodging a criminal case against him in a court of law and handing the culprit over to the police he was given time to make good his escape. Committee, which was headed by Riaz Pirzada was informed that the matter remained under investigation with FIA.
According to the record of FIA the culprit has been declared proclaimed offender by the learned trial court. The sub-committee also reviewed the audit paras of ministry of defence production and federal board of revenue for the year 1997-98 and 1994-95 respectively.