ISLAMABAD – The former Auditor general of Pakistan Buland Akhter Rana has been sentenced to six months in prison, here on Monday.
The punishment came after the Federal Investigation Agency filed an FIR against the official for concealing his Canadian nationality.
Rana was arrested from the court room after civil Judge Shabbar Bhatti announced the sentence.
The official, who was considered a close affiliate of the then Prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani took oath as the 17th Auditor General of Pakistan.
Pakistan Muslim League had objected to the decision of PPP government with Senator Mushahid Ullah branding the appointment as ‘cronyism’.
Rana was sacked by the PML-N government after the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) found him guilty of misconduct in 2015.
“In accordance with SJC’s report which opines that… Rana has committed misconduct on numerous occasions, making him liable to be removed from his office, the president in pursuance of Article 168(5) read with Article 209(6) of the Constitution has been pleased to remove [him] from the office …. with immediate effect,” said a notification issued by the finance ministry at the time.
It was the first time in the history of Pakistan that a complaint was filed in the SJC, seeking the disqualification of an AGP while it was the second time that the council gave its opinion to the president on any reference, filed under Article 209 of the Constitution.
