Summary Auditor General terms purpose of Chief Minister's tours to China 'vague'
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Auditor General of Pakistan has stated in the 2014-15 audit report that the state visits paid by Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif to China in recent years involved the spending of millions of rupees that were unaccounted, reported Dunya news.
The report added that the purposes of the visits were unclear. CM and those who went along with him paid an advance payment of rupees 1.23 crore whereas, the dining and residence on most of these visits were sponsored by the Chinese government, according to the report. Moreover, millions were spent for the rent of rooms.
A detailed inquiry has been decided for all the visits made during the past 4 years. To hide the total expenses, instead of using the budget of the Chief Minister’s office funds were released from the Punjab Board of Trade, the officials of whom are yet unaware of the outcome of these visits upon the province’s prosperity.
According to the report, the members that went along with the CM during these tours also had the time of their lives as daily allowances were taken at a rate of 100 percent instead of the regular 30 percent allowed. Most of the receipts and related documented evidences are also reported missing from the expenditure files.
