KARACHI: With reference to Google search “A forensic audit is a detailed examination of a person's or organizations financial records to uncover any illegal activity or irregularities. The term ‘forensic’ means that the audit can be used in court or in public debate.”

However, the Registrar Cooperative Societies Sindh, an officer of BPS-19 thinks that “forensic” means something belonging to the greater space-age. He said in his report submitted with SHC on 12th November that in compliance with the Sindh High Court orders dated 09 October 2024 passed in MA No. 97/2024 a committee was constituted by Registrar Cooperative Societies Sindh vide order dated 16 October 2024 to conduct forensic audit of the accounts of M/s: Karimabad Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Karachi within 15-days time. The committee submitted in writing that there is no provision in Sindh Cooperative Societies Act & Rules 2020 for conducting "Forensic Audit" of a society.

According to Registrar’s statement, in order to ensure compliance with the above Government and High Court Orders, the committee issued a notice to the management of the society vide letter dated 21 October 2024 wherein detailed record of the society was sought for the purpose to conduct the audit of the society.

He said that on the basis of record provided by the management of the society, the preliminary audit report for the period ending 30 June 2024 has been annexed with the recommendation of the committee to grant additional time as the management has reported that most of the record of the society is under the custody of NAB authorities and that the previous administrators appointed by Registrar Office had not handed over the record to the incumbent management of the society. It may be mentioned here that this is a serious and severe allegation leveled against the Office of the Registrar itself that his appointed administrators did not hand over the Society’s record to the incumbent management.  

According to residents of Karimabad Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Karachi the report submitted by Registrar Cooperative Societies Sindh is bundle of lies just to misguide the Honorable Court. They quoted Section 4.(1) Chapter-II Registration, of Sindh Co-operative Societies Act-2020, which says that: “For the purpose of recovering any papers, documents or books of account belonging to a society, the Registrar may issue a search warrant and exercise all such powers with respect thereto as may be lawfully exercised by a Magistrate under the Provisions of Chapter VII of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 (V of 1898) and all such searches shall be made in accordance with the provisions of that Code.”

They alleged that there was misappropriation of millions of rupees funds by incumbent management of the Society lead by its Secretary Imran Arwan having hand in gloves with officials of the Registrar Cooperative Societies Sindh since many years.  

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 13 2024

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