Wheat & sugar crisis: AGP to conduct audit to ascertain facts

Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has decided to commence special audit to ascertain the facts behind wheat and sugar crisis.

According to details, the AGP under articles of 169 to 171 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is going to audit the accounts of the federal government and accounts of all relevant authorities and bodies established by or under the control of the federal government.

For the purpose, a joint audit team headed by the Director General Audit (federal government) and nominees of four provincial DGs' audit and two DGs of commercial audit has been constituted to conduct the special audit of wheat and sugar crisis along with the subsidies in these sectors. The audit team will start the field work during ongoing month 'April'.

In this regards, the AGP has sent letters to the Governor State Bank of Pakistan, chairman FBR, secretaries of ministry of finance, ministry of national food security and research, ministry of industries and production and provincial secretaries of finance and food departments and senior member of all four provincial revenue boards, requesting them to ensure the availability of any accounts, books, papers and other documents, which deal with or from the basis of, or, otherwise relevant to the audit as required under section 14 (1) of the AGP Ordinance, 2001.

When contacted, sources in FBR confirmed to have received such directives from AGP, saying that the board in this regard also ordered all chief commissioners of LTUs and RTOs, to ensure full cooperation with AGP in its special audit to ascertain the facts behind the wheat and sugar crisis.

Moreover, they said that the move to conduct special audit of wheat and sugar crisis along with the subsidies in these sectors had shown the commitment of Prime Minister Imran Khan to take all responsible persons to task and hoped that the federal government would take appropriate measures in the light of the findings and recommendations of this special audit not only to penalize responsible persons but to avoid such incidents in future.