Tk 4,811cr stuck in irregularities

Comptroller and Auditor General Ahmed Ataul Hakeem presents audit reports to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: PID

The country's top auditor has raised 605 objections after digging out irregularities of Tk 4,811 crore in spending by 22 ministries.
The objections came in 41 audits on the spending during the fiscal years of 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-11.
Ahmed Ataul Hakeem, comptroller and auditor general, submitted a compilation of audit reports to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the capital yesterday.
"We only prepare reports. It is now up to the Public Accounts Committee [PAC] of parliament to realise the money," Hakeem told The Daily Star, expressing the hope that the present PAC would succeed in doing so.
The Office of Comptroller and Auditor General (OCAG), the country's accounting watchdog, produced eight audit reports on the banking division, the internal resources division and the finance division -- all under the finance ministry -- questioning spending of Tk 1,053.80 crore.
The power, energy and mineral resources ministry was held responsible for unaccounted-for spending of Tk 1,292.77 crore.
The auditor also charged the communications ministry with irregularities of Tk 426.32 crore, the rail ministry of Tk 802.53 crore, the housing and public works ministry of Tk 594.76 crore, the local government and rural development ministry of Tk 112.23 crore and the civil aviation and tourism ministry of Tk 116.47 crore.
The environment and forest ministry got a clean chit as the audit watchdog did not find any irregularities in its spending.
The industries, defence, food and disaster management, shipping, agriculture, liberation war affairs, fisheries and foreign affairs ministries were found involved in irregularities of Tk 259.59 crore.
Hakeem said the PAC this year alone realised about Tk 8,000 crore in recovery and adjustment.
"The budget allocated for our office this year is Tk 94 crore and we have contributed to the recovery of Tk 8,000 crore," he said, calling for more resources for the constitutional body so that it could contribute more to unravelling financial corruption.
A senior official of the OCAG said they had raised the objections against those ministries because they were certain about the irregularities.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ministries would, however, get a chance to defend their positions when the Public Accounts Committee summoned their secretaries, seeking explanation.
At least Tk 50,000 crore remained unrealised since 1972 as the successive public accounts committees had not been proactive with a few exceptions like the present one, he added.
CAG Hakeem will place the audit and accounts reports before the president who will then send those to parliament.