LAHORE, April 14: The auditor-general has taken note of irregularities in the write-off of a Punjab government's helicopter , sought recovery of the Rs15,210,986 and marked an audit para for perusal by the Punjab Assembly's Public Accounts Committee.

The A Bell 412-SP helicopter of the additional chief secretary of the S&GAD had crashed on Dec 17, 1998, killing many officials on board. The competent authority (then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif) declared the helicopter a write-off later.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), in its preliminary investigation report, had said that the incident had happened because of poor visibility and the machine's failure to land.

The auditor-general, however, pointed out that no detailed probe was undertaken into the incident to fix responsibility as required under rules 18.4(b) PFR Vol-I. Working hypothetically on the write-off process, the competent authority did not take into consideration even the Rs120 million insurance amount, the AG's report for the year 2000-2001 said.

Nor was the matter reported for audit before issuing final orders on it as required under rule SOA II-2(2)/64-678 of the finance department issued on April 2, 1962, it added.

The audit report also found that no satisfactory reply to a query about the wreckage of the helicopter was submitted except the department concerned said that a sum of Rs19.879 million had been received from the National Insurance Corporation and deposited with the treasury.

No treasury officer had verified the deposit documents, it said. The auditor-general recommended the competent authority to recover the amount from the defaulter(s) or correct the irregularities in the write-off process to bring it in line with the relevant rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, Shahbaz Sharif's spokesman Farrukh Shah termed the report a pack of lies aimed at defaming the former chief minister and now president of the PML-N. Talking by phone, he said Mr Sharif had taken the step as the competent authority and according to the rules and regulations on the CAA's report.He said the reports of Mr Sharif's return had baffled the rulers and they were leaking such stories to check his comeback.

PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE: The Privileges Committee of the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday again took up the motion which had been moved by 27 opposition MPAs against SSP (operations) Aftab Cheema for torturing them on the premises of the assembly in May last year.