ISLAMABAD: A recent audit report has uncovered widespread financial irregularities worth billions of rupees across multiple federal ministries and divisions, raising concerns over fiscal management and compliance with financial regulations.
According to the report issued by the Auditor General of Pakistan, audits of 23 federal ministries and departments revealed significant discrepancies, including excessive expenditures, unutilized funds, and violations of financial rules in development spending.ch as excess expenditure, non-utilization of money, and violation of financial rules in development funding.
The report reveals that the excess expenditure has been incurred by federal departments amounting to roughly Rs187 billion in the previous fiscal year. Also, the audit has revealed that approximately Rs87 billion in allocated money had not been utilized and eventually lapsed, showing inefficiency in budget utilization.
Moreover, the audit report highlights that there were financial transactions made in an unauthorized manner; Rs7.49 billion was moved from Federal Consolidated Fund to Public Accounts, and Rs24 billion from dead accounts was not remitted back to government accounts.
The audit has raised concerns over the issue of compliance with financial rules regarding development financing, and Rs75 billion has been allocated for parliamentary development schemes, in which violation of rules in fund utilization was observed. Approximately Rs1.9 trillion is also involved in the issue of external debt exposure.
Overall, the audit identified 78 cases of weak internal financial controls, while recovery orders were issued in 82 cases involving irregular expenditures or questionable transactions.
The Auditor General has recommended urgent reforms to strengthen financial oversight, improve internal controls, and ensure greater transparency in public spending. It also urged that unspent government funds be promptly returned to the national treasury and that accountability mechanisms within public institutions be reinforced.
Officials have not yet issued a detailed response to the findings. However, the report is expected to intensify scrutiny of federal financial management practices and prompt calls for institutional reforms.
