LAHORE, Nov 1: The Public Accounts Committee-I of the Punjab Assembly has directed the home department to refer two cases of embezzlement of TA/DA to the NAB.

A committee meeting, chaired by Rana Aftab Ahmad Khan, took up audit paras related to the home and food departments on Monday.

It found that incumbent Rahim Yar Khan district police officer Tariq Hanif Joiya during his posting as DSP at Sialkot in 1996 had, with the connivance of district accounts officials, embezzled over Rs11.3 million under the head of TA/DA in two cases.

In its last meeting, the committee had rejected an earlier inquiry into the cases and directed the home department to hold the probe afresh.

The second inquiry team headed by the additional home secretary confirmed that bogus payments had been made in the travelling and daily allowances.

The team recommended action against the DPO and Sialkot district accounts officer as well as his staff under the Removal from Service Ordinance, 2000.

It also recommended that to check embezzlements in future the TA/DA allowance be fixed.

Taking up audit paras related to the food department, it observed that a flour mills in Faisalabad had been receiving subsidized wheat from the government though the unit was not operating as power supply to it had been cut off by Wapda long ago.

The PAC directed the food secretary to probe the matter and submit a report in the next meeting.