Rs 11 million given away as tips!

The parliamentary oversight committee on public accounts was shocked to learn that a chief protocol officer of Ministry of Foreign Affairs had spent Rs10.880 million from the public exchequer on account of tips in foreign restaurants and hotels during the visits of prime ministers and presidents abroad during 2006-09.
The sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which met under its convenor MNA Sardar Ashiq Hussain Gopang in chair, settled down most of the audit paras but referred the matter of non-adjustment of advance payments as tips to the tune of US $101,414 and €3,000 [Rs10.880 million approximately] to departmental audit committee (DAC) for further probe.
The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) in its observations stated that as per instructions contained in Rule-668 of FTR [Federal Treasury Rules], advances granted under special order of competent authority to the government of Pakistan officers for departmental or allied purposes may be drawn on the responsively and receipt of the officers for whom they are sanctioned subject to adjustment by submission of detailed accounts supported by vouchers or by refund as may be necessary.
The AGP further observed that as per Para-III of the Ministry's letter dated August 03, 2004 regarding financial management of Protocol Division, no payment of tips will be made by head of mission in consultation with chief of protocol and the list of recipients duly signed by both the head of mission and the chief of protocol will be sent to the ministry for record.
Contrary to that, the AGP noted that an amount of US $101,414 and €3,000 was paid to the chief of protocol for payment of tips during 2006-09 on the occasions of visits of presidents and prime ministers abroad but no confirmation or adjustment thereof was available on record.
In its recommendation, the AGP said that either the details of utilisation of entire expenditure duly signed by the head of mission of the concerned missions abroad and chief of protocol may be provided or the amount may be recovered from the officer concerned under intimation to audit. The ministry in its response told the committee that details are being collected from the concerned quarters and would be provided to audit for verification.
The DAC in its meeting held on December 07-08, 2010 directed the ministry to get the advances adjusted within two months. But no progress has been reported till yet. The committee, however, directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to settle the matter together with the AGP.
In his response to various other audit paras, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that for the last three years, not a single project has been undertaken abroad in violation of PPRA rules. He said that all the foreign missions have been directed not to launch any project without proper tender if its cost exceeds $4,000. The convenor also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take departmental actions against those officers who had violated the rules and remained involved in misappropriations.