PESHAWAR: Fifty-seven departmental inquiries into alleged financial irregularities and embezzlement of funds are underway in 18 departments and directorates, functioning under Civil Secretariat of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Despite conducting this gigantic exercise senior government functionaries are not sure if these investigations would reach the logical end, because there is no mechanism for probing ‘white collar crimes’ in the tribal areas where federal government, foreign donors and other money lending agencies spend billions of funds in various sectors every year.

“The issue at hand is that neither National Accountability Bureau (NAB) nor Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or any other agency can intervene to investigate these types of crimes in Fata because of legal vacuum,” said an official.

He said that federal government had extended FIA Act to Fata, but legal mechanism and infrastructure required for probing financial scams did not exist in the tribal areas. Certain sections in FIA Act did not synchronise with the existing legal system in Fata therefore the agency was helpless to conduct investigations or probe crimes, he added.

Similarly, the official said, NAB could not operate unless President extended it to Fata under Article 247 (5) of the Constitution although NAB Ordinance had been extended to the whole country.

“Officials serving in civil secretariat or its subsidiary directorates in Fata have realised that they are not answerable to any authority for looting and plundering national wealth,” he said, adding the perception had emboldened the officials to earn as much as possible.

Well-placed sources said that a case involving millions of amount had been unearthed in Frontier Region of Tank few months ago. The Fata communication and works department had shown to have spent the allocated funds, but the schemes had not been executed, they said.

Important aspect is that every official in civil secretariat and line departments in private conversation admits that massive corruption in development projects and other sectors exist, but nobody is ready to disclose the name of people involved corruption or take action against them.

A retired civil servant, commenting on the prevailing situation, termed the secretariat a ‘shopping hub for officials’.

An official source said that inquiries against the officials were blocked by their peers and the cases were swept under the carpet.

Information gathered by Dawn revealed that total 57 inquiries were presently underway in different departments and directorates. These inquiries were ordered about one year ago.

Four officials have been repatriated to the provincial government after corruption charges were proved against them. Sources said that before the 57 inquiries no such action was ever taken against the officials in the past.

Investigations in two inquiries ordered in communication and works departments have been completed. These inquiries were referred to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in which recovery worth Rs4.7 million from two executive engineers was ordered while increment of another officer was censured.

The employees of the provincial government are working on deputation in Civil Secretariat Fata and its line departments therefore some cases had been referred to the provincial government.

Officials said that six regular inquiries were in the process under efficiency and disciplinary rule while five cases were referred to the provincial government for investigation. Civil secretariat has launched fact finding inquiries into 44 cases involving financial irregularities. Administration department has started 22 inquiries.

According to sources, 16 inquiries are under process in communication and works, 10 in health, five in fishery, four in agriculture, four in livestock, three in local government, one in finance, two in law and order, two in sports, one in administration, two in education, one in irrigation, one in non-timber forest, one in public health engineering, one in Fata support programme, one in planning and development, one in social welfare and one in population welfare department.