AG to conduct audit of Royal Palm club, says SC

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Friday said the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) will conduct a forensic audit of Lahore’s Royal Palm Golf and Country Club.

A three-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, was hearing a case related to illegal constructions on the Pakistan Railways’ land at Lahore registry.

The top court on Dec 27 took the club, built on the land of the railways, into judicial custody and directed chartered accountancy firm AF Ferguson to carry out an audit of the club after taking its record into custody.

Justice Nisar, however, remarked the AGP will now conduct an audit of the Royal Palm club.

The club’s former administration informed the court that all its record had been handed over to Ferguson, adding that the railways had 10-year old record of the club.

The chief justice said the apex court would take up the issue pertaining to the club’s lease in Islamabad. “You constructed an illegal cinema and wedding halls on the club premises. You will have to account for every penny,” he remarked while pointing to former club officials who appeared in court today.

Meanwhile, Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed informed the judges that cases involving billions of rupees worth of railways land were pending in various courts across the country owing to stay orders. To which, the chief justice directed the minister to provide a list of such cases.