ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) formally indicted Auditor General Pakistan (AGP) Mohammad Akhtar Buland Rana on Thursday on charges of financial impropriety and abuse of power for personal benefit.

AGP Buland Rana, facing two references for his removal from the high office, was in attendance along with his counsel Advocate Rana Zafar. Additional Attorney Generals Waqar Rana and Afnan Kundi and Deputy Attorney General Khawaja Ahmed Hassan appeared for the prosecution.

After hearing the two sides for an hour, the SJC decided to club the references and ordered the National Assembly Secretariat and Irfan Jahangir Wattoo, a subordinate of Mr Buland Rana, to appear before the council on January 12 with affidavits and documentary evidence to establish the allegations they have filed against the AGP Rana.

The NA Secretariat’s reference, endorsed the charge of “misconduct” framed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), saying the AGP Rana pocketed around Rs4.7 million of the exchequer in excess salary and privileges, and suggested the SJC remove Rana from his office.

PAC seeks removal of AGP on charges of pocketing around Rs4.7m in excess salary and privileges

The reference was submitted after providing an opportunity to Mr Rana to appear before the PAC meetings and clarify his position. Rana never turned up before the PAC.

Under Article 168(2) of the Constitution, the auditor general, who is administered oath by the chief justice for being a constitutional office, can only be removed by invoking SJC under Article 209 of the constitution.

A list of 12 witnesses has been submitted to the SJC in the case – seven by the National Assembly Secretariat and five by Mr. Jahangir Wattoo.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the SJC turned down a request by Mr Buland Rana’s counsel to order the release of his frozen salary, saying the SJC was not an administrative forum to order such directions.

On September 26, the SJC had issued a show-cause notice to AGP Rana with the direction to controvert the allegations leveled in the reference against him.

Former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had sworn in Mr Rana as 17th AGP on August 27, 2011, even though the CJ had questioned his candidature in a tussle with the then PPP government by seeking a clarification from the presidency over the choice.

The PML-N, then the main opposition, also had opposed Rana’s appointment, alleging he had dual nationality. And Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, then leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, had resigned as the chairman PAC after Mr Rana got the appointment.

Mr Rana again came under spotlight when as AGP he questioned the sitting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision to retire the Rs480 billion circular debt without a pre-audit.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2014