Lahore, January 06: Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of financial mismanagement against the PCB.
The issue was highlighted by Razaullah Khan of Karachi in an application requesting suo motu notice of the alleged misappropriation. Razaullah, an old cricket administrator, drew the attention of the chief justice to the fact that no action was taken by NAB although Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had issued a directive for an inquiry into the allegations.
In a special audit conducted at the request of the sports ministry, former Pakistan Cricket Board chairmans Tauqir Zia, Sheheryar M Khan, Dr Nasim Ashraf found to be involved in irregular expenditures of millions of rupees. ”Case be forwarded to the NAB chairman for disposal,” the chief justice ordered on Monday while taking suo motu notice of the applicant’s complaint.
The report prepared by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) for the period from July 2003 to June 30, 2008, highlighted purchase of luxury cars, award of contracts without following prescribed rules, recruitment without advertising posts and mismanagement of PCB’s assets as a common practice during the stints of the three former chairmen. The PCB had a surplus budget of Rs 1.051 billion in 2004 which dropped to a deficit of Rs 130 million in 2008. The public accounts committee has already held a hearing into the audit report which was attended by present PCB chairman Ejaz Butt.
——Agencies