ISLAMABAD: Investigators continue discovering skeletons in the prime ministerial closet of Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani. Now an audit report says that back in 2009 his sister, and her son, enjoyed a junket to Norway posing as artists.

It was all a family affair, suggests the report by the Auditor General of Pakistan seen by Dawn.

Sister Nargis Makhdoom’s husband, retired Maj Moinul Islam Bokhari then was Secretary Culture. A sponsored music event in Oslo opened the opportunity to send his wife and son Jawad Moin there under a Norwegian grant for music exchange programme at a cost of Rs484,000 for the two.

But to their misfortune, the Norwegians discovered the subterfuge and their embassy in Islamabad demanded the money back. Instead of recovering the money from the Secretary Culture, the Lok Virsa, which had nominated the artistes to the music event, deposited the amount into the Norwegian grant account from its own funds in October 2012.

That was done with the approval of the then acting executive director of the cultural organisation, with the cashbook of the organisation showing the deposit as ‘refund’.

Auditors checking the accounts of the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage – that is the Lok Virsa – for the year 2012-13 spotted this irregular money transaction. Their report termed the inclusion of the then Secretary Culture’s family in the cultural troupe as favouritism and recommended recovering the Rs484,000 with interest from the family.

It also suggested a probe to fix responsibility on the people found at fault in the matter. It is not known whether that was done or not.

However, in a related development, the government removed Lok Virsa’s Executive Director Khalid Javaid on September 30. A fact-finding committee, formed by the present Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Pervaiz Rasheed, held that Mr Javaid’s appointment by a minister in the previous government in BPS-21 on contractual basis was invalid as only the prime minister could make such an appointment. It also violated a ruling of the Supreme Court.

It is learnt that Samina Khalid Ghurki, Minister for National Heritage and Integration in the previous government, had appointed Mr Khalid Javaid.

She was mentioned in the Auditor General’s report in connection with the questionable award of contracts to two companies. Both were owned by one Chaudhry Mohammad Faraz. They separately organised Pakistan Week at Lok Virsa, one in June 2012 and another just six months later in January 2013, at a total cost of Rs44.7 million to the government exchequer.This case of apparent favouritism was separate from the visit to Oslo of Mr Gilani’s sister and nephew. The only link between the two was that the first contract was given after Gilani, in his capacity of prime minister, approved a summary directly sent to him by a private firm.

Bypassing the concerned ministry and the Lok Virsa, Messrs Eclat Concepts of Islamabad moved the summary on February 2, 2012, for celebrating Pakistan Week at a cost of Rs24.7 million.

A visiting card of the then minister for national heritage and integration, Samina Khalid Ghurki, was appended to the proposal. The summary was approved within a week and the Prime Minister’s Secretariat directed the Secretaries Finance Division and National Heritage and Integration to release a technical supplementary grant of Rs24.7 million for the purpose, although the expenditure of Rs24.7 million was calculated by the private firm without the involvement of any government machinery.

Only after finalising the issues with Eclat Concepts, the concerned ministry put an advertisement inviting tenders in April. Eclat Concept and another firm among the eight which submitted bids were asked to submit their financial proposals. And the contract went to Eclat Concepts, the ‘lowest bidder’.

According to the auditors, the firm was accorded undue favour as it was not authorised to send a direct summary to the prime minister. They said the budget was obtained on the basis of estimates submitted by the firm and tenders were invited merely to meet a formality.

Six months later, the prime minister again approved Rs20 million for organising a Pakistan cultural week. Tenders were invited and Eclat Concepts and Creative Concerns owned by Chaudhry Mohammad Faraz and a third company were asked to submit financial proposals. This time the tender was won by Chaudhry Faraz’s other firm, Creative Concerns.

The audit recommended an inquiry into the matter and fix responsibility for manipulation of the event and causing loss to the national exchequer.