PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has allowed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe alleged misappropriation and embezzlement in funds by the political authorities.
Recently, a PHC division bench headed by Justice Mussarat Hilali maintained the decision of Special Judge (Central) Anti-Corruption and Immigration Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which the subordinate court had allowed the FIA to probe the misappropriation and embezzlement in funds in the tribal agencies.
As per the high court decision, the high court allowed FIA to probe the misappropriation of funds in Fata by dismissing the writ petition filed by the additional chief secretary Fata against the order of the Special Judge (Central) Anti-Corruption and Immigration, which allowed the FIA to continue probe in the funds.
In the appeal, Ghani Gul Mehsud, chairman of People’s Accountability Forum Fata, had also become party. He requested the court to dismiss the appeal as the FIA was doing a right job to probe the misappropriation of funds in Fata.
However, the high court maintained the order of the subordinate court for non-prosecution as no-one from the appellant side appeared in the case despite repeated notices. As per the order of the Special Judge (Central) Anti-Corruption and Immigration Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, headed by Syed Yahya Zahid Gilani, FIA inspector Shahid Ilyas is conducting an enquiry into the utilisation of Rs850 million under the head (establishment) of local Lashkar/peace committee and re-establishment of the political administration offices of South Waziristan.
“Due to information of apprehension that this huge sum has been dishonestly misappropriated by the civil servants/officials of Fata Secretariat, Peshawar by abusing their official position as civil/public servants,” the order stated.
