ISLAMABAD, April 16: The Ad hoc Public Accounts committee was informed on Tuesday that the ministry of Defence had re- employed 24 persons on regular-basis in the Civil Aviation Authority instead of giving decision in a case of illegal regularization of a person referred to it.

During the review of the audit reports pertaining to CAA for the year 1999-2000, a subordinate body of M.O. Defence committee directed the ministry officials to furnish details of all the appointments and show the rules under which these were made.

According to audit objection, case of one Taj Mohammad having been regularized after recruitment on contract basis, to provide him post retirement benefits was one of the 24 such cases the audit officials claimed.

The committee was told that a big amount was paid to meet the dues of said irregular appointee and the department had failed to prove that the regularization of the said personnel was done under a rule. The PAC decided to defer the case for Wednesday and directed the CAA to bring complete details of the irregular appointments.

The CAA was accused of causing a total loss of Rs833.238 million to the exchequer through excess/over payments, non-adjustments, non-recoveries, over-charging, illegitimate/ unauthorized and undue payments in 26 cases.

In one such case escalated payment of Rs111.441 million was made without any base rates and prices instead of lump sum basis.

In one case which the committee debated in detail, the four and a half-year delay in completion of work on Chitral airport had caused a loss of Rs5.223 million.

The department came up with excuses like delayed release of funds, bad weather, less payment and diversion of funds to other projects etc. which all were rejected by the committee.