Rs12bn attestation racket alleged inside Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: An internal inquiry by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has allegedly uncovered a large-scale network involved in the illegal collection of money from citizens seeking attestation of official documents, with the amount allegedly collected through unofficial channels estimated at nearly Rs12 billion in one year.

The confidential inquiry was conducted by a four-member committee headed by Director General Audit and Inspection Dr Ahmed Ali Sarohi. According to officials familiar with the report, it was finalised and submitted to the Foreign Secretary’s Office in July but has not, so far, been referred to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or another accountability agency.

Sources familiar with the findings said the alleged network involved unofficial payments from people seeking urgent attestation of degrees, marriage certificates, birth certificates and commercial documents.

According to the inquiry and sources familiar with its contents, some applicants were allegedly charged as much as Rs800,000 for priority processing through unofficial channels, despite the considerably lower official fees.

Alleged courier company link

The inquiry reportedly identified an operational link between a private courier company and a serving Foreign Office official.

Sources claimed the courier company was allegedly used to receive documents and payments from applicants outside official ministry channels before facilitating their processing.

One source familiar with the inquiry described the arrangement as an insider-linked system rather than merely the work of individuals operating outside ministry premises.

The report is also said to contain statements and names of officials allegedly connected with the network, including an official currently posted in the Foreign Secretary’s Office, directors general serving in different wings, a former additional secretary and several former diplomats.

Questions over action on report

The handling of the inquiry after its submission has raised further questions.

According to a senior official familiar with the matter, the report recommended departmental and criminal action against identified individuals, along with a referral to NAB and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

It also reportedly recommended the suspension of officials identified during the inquiry and a forensic audit of the attestation branch and private contractors associated with the process.

However, sources said these recommendations have not been implemented so far.

They further alleged that some officials whose names surfaced during the inquiry were subsequently posted abroad on sought-after assignments. These claims could not independently be verified.

The attestation system of the Foreign Office processes documents required by overseas Pakistanis, students applying to foreign institutions and workers travelling abroad. Applicants have frequently relied on agents and intermediaries for urgent processing, particularly around major ministry offices in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar.

The internal inquiry’s reported estimate of Rs12 billion would represent a significant scale of alleged financial irregularity, but the figure and other allegations remain subject to verification and any subsequent investigation by competent authorities.

Minute Mirror sent detailed questions to the Foreign Office spokesperson and the Foreign Secretary’s Office seeking their response on the inquiry, its findings, the alleged financial amount and the reported recommendations for action.

No response had been received by the time this report was filed.

Any officials or private entities named in the inquiry would be entitled to respond to the allegations, and the findings would require further investigation before criminal responsibility could be established.