PESHAWAR, Nov 25: Hundreds of inquiries, ordered regarding the misappropriation and embezzlement of funds received under the Social Action Programme (SAP), could not be completed for years, due to delays caused by inquiry officers.

According to official documents, in some of the cases the inquiries have not been completed even after so many years.

In several other cases, disciplinary action is still awaited though the recommendations for action, contained under inquiry reports already completed, had been put forth to the competent authorities (heads of the SAP sector departments concerned).

Under the audit reports of the SAP funded schemes’ accounts for the 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 financial years, hundreds of objections have been raised regarding the millions of rupee spent on development works under the SAP in education, health, physical health engineering, communication & works, and population welfare sectors.

There were over 170 cases awaiting reports by the inquiry officers, said sources, adding, “some of the inquiries had been asked for years ago.”

Out of the total number of cases pending due to non- furnishing of reports by the inquiry officers, about 90 pertain to education department, some 40 to health department, over 10 to physical health engineering, about five to population welfare, and over 10 to communication & works department, according to sources.

The number of cases in which inquiries are still awaited makes over 85 per cent of the total number pending inquiries.

Not only that the provincial authorities have been causing delays, the office of the auditor general SAP, Islamabad, has also played its role in delaying the matter. Decisions are awaited in certain cases that were forwarded, with the inquiry reports and initial findings of the auditors long ago to the auditor general SAP for decision.