PM arrives in Saudi Arabia on first leg of three-nation tour

Shehbaz orders swift action against over-invoicing scam, calls taxpayer money trust of nation

RIYADH: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday for the first part of his three-nation tour amid ongoing active negotiation efforts for peace in the Middle East.

The prime minister is on a three-nation tour till Friday, during which he will also visit Qatar and Turkiye. The Prime Minister’s Office said he is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The meeting will involve discussions on further strengthening bilateral relations and an exchange of views on the regional situation.

Upon his arrival, the premier and his delegation were received by Makkah Deputy Governor Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmad Farooq.

PM Shehbaz is accompanied by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister AttaullahTarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Syed Tariq Fatemi, and the prime minister’s spokesperson for foreign media.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered expedited legal action against all those involved in over-invoicing, terming it a “heinous practice” that went unchecked for years due to institutional negligence.

Chairing a weekly review meeting on the affairs of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the premier was briefed on a committee report probing over-invoicing.

“From 2017 to 2022, this despicable practice continued while the relevant institutions remained consistently negligent in their duties,” the prime minister said, directing authorities to fast-track legal proceedings against those responsible.

He appreciated the findings of the committee headed by Ahmed Sukhera and ordered the formation of another body under Shahid Khan to identify officials and institutions guilty of negligence and initiate departmental action. The new committee has been tasked with submitting its report at the earliest.

“Tax money is a trust of the nation — safeguarding it is our duty, and we are accountable for every single penny,” PM Shehbaz said, stressing the need for transparency and accountability.

The prime minister also directed authorities to formulate a comprehensive strategy to prevent such practices in the future and ordered that the Financial Monitoring Unit be made fully functional, with representation from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

The meeting was informed that the FBR has developed a Centralised Price Verification Portal, which is expected to be integrated with banks by the end of June.

The FBR’s Post Clearance Audit Wing had first identified the over-invoicing practice in October 2022. So far, 13 FIRs have been registered against those involved, with legal proceedings underway. Staff Report