Officials involved mega corruption cases given safe passage, insiders believe
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has sent its official on forced leave while punitive actions are likely to be taken against others after completion of a departmental inquiry against officials involved in financial and administrative irregularities and corruption cases.
As per a letter issued on February 25, 2022, the MoST, in light of fact-finding inquiry committee, has sent Ali Muhammad Bukhari, Deputy Director Finance of Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) on leave for 90 days.
However, insiders believe that the ministry, by sending him on leave, has actually given a safe passage to the official, who is alleged to be involved in a mega scandal of suspicious transactions worth over a billion rupees.
“The official may soon leave the country as he has been involved in a mega financial corruption in an attached department of the ministry which may unmask high ups in the ministry and former heads of the organization who equally benefited from the financial irregularities,” an official informed this scribe, requesting anonymity, adding that this official means saving the skin of many high ups in the ministry both serving and retired.
Following audit reports about the massive financial irregularities and illegal appointments at the PSQCA, the MoST had constituted a committee to probe into the matter. The committee comprising of MoST Chief Finance and Accounts Officer Shazad Naim and Assistant Accounts Officer (F&A) Adeel Ahmad, was constituted for conducting an inquiry regarding financial and administrative mismanagement allegedly committed by Ali Muhammad Bukhari.
Apart from the financial irregularities, Bukhari was also alleged to get his two sisters, one brother and one niece appointed in the PSQCA. Besides, the committee will also investigate the authenticity of the degrees of his relatives hired in PSQCA as well as alleged financial and administrative mismanagement of Bukhari himself.
It may be recalled that Profit [Pakistan Today] had earlier published a report regarding an audit of the PSQCA accounts wherein the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) had found massive irregularities in the authority’s finance department.
As per available documents, Bukhari has made over 55 suspicious transactions worth millions of rupees from 2014 to 2017 from various accounts of NBP, for reportedly PSQCA Investment purpose. The transactions were suspicious and made in cash mode which is itself against the GFR rules and violation of government directives.
Apart from the suspicious transactions, Bukhari, who served in the finance department of PSQCA from 2008 to 2022, was also alleged in financial irregularities regarding reinvestment worth billions of rupees in various branches of NBP in term deposit receipts (TDRs).
Interestingly, Bukhari, despite being a government official, is chief editor of a daily (urdu) based in Karachi and also holds the position of chairman of Bukhari Welfare Organization.
According to insiders, though the said official has been sent on leave but he has still not handed over the official records and information to his subordinates despite the fact that the Deputy Director (Finance)/Ex-DDO /custodian of all Investment Fund and record, Finance Wing, PSQCA, has been serving the government organization as a Drawing and Disbursing Officer from January 1, 2008 to February 28, 2022.
Despite repeated attempts of both landline telephone and WhatsApp numbers (apparently seen/noticed by him), Bukhari did not respond to queries seeking answers.
Apart from Bukhari, the MoST had also initiated a departmental inquiry against secretary PSQCA, who has been sitting at the post for over a decade now.
As per documents available with Profit, the ministry had issued a charge sheet against PSQCA Secretary Ghulam Umar Kazi (BS-19) on November 16, 2021 while constituting a three-member inquiry committee to probe allegations against him.
Kazi, who is considered the most influential official at PSQCA, was successfully retained during the governments of PPP and PML-N despite various inquiries held regarding corruption, irregularities at NAB and FIA. He managed to hold the key post in the authority despite repeated directions by parliamentary committees to suspend officials of PSQCA facing inquiries.
Interestingly, the ministry, despite the completion of another fact finding committee report, has not taken any action against Secretary PSQCA so far.
