FTO Faces Allegations of Illegal Overseas Adviser Appointments

Serious allegations of legal violations and disregard for merit have emerged over recent overseas appointments made by Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr Asif Mehmood Jah. An overseas Pakistani widow has formally accused the FTO of “blatant and deliberate violations of law” in the selection of advisers in multiple foreign jurisdictions. According to sources, advisers have been appointed in Canada, USA, Sweden, UK, Hong Kong, Finland, Spain, and Europe. However, no adviser has been appointed in the United Arab Emirates, which hosts one of the largest Pakistani expatriate communities. The omission has raised concerns among overseas Pakistanis who rely heavily on tax-related assistance abroad. The UAE based widow, speaking through her representative in Pakistan, claims that the FTO ignored Supreme Court guidelines on transparency, merit, and compliance in public appointments. She alleges that the selection process did not follow legally required procedures and lacked fairness and accountability. Legal documents shared with this correspondent note that advisers appointed under Section 27 of the Federal Tax Ombudsman Ordinance, 2000, fall within the definition of public servants under Section 21 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Any appointment that results in providing illegal benefit in tax matters may fall under corruption and corrupt practices outlined in Section 9(vi) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. The widow argues that the FTO’s overseas appointments appear to violate the Supreme Court’s repeated instructions on the “fit and proper” standard for public officeholders, amounting to prima facie contempt of binding rulings of the apex court. She has urged the authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry and ensure future appointments strictly follow merit, transparency, and legal requirements.