The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Saturday kickstarted its countrywide investigation — launched a day earlier — into the utilisation of funds from “prohibited” sources by PTI after an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruling that the party secured illegal donations.
A total of six inquiries have been opened simultaneously in major cities of Pakistan, including federal capital Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi.
According to FIA authorities, 13 accounts have been identified in which these funds were transferred, and the agency has issued notices to the banks under which these accounts have been operating.
Courts have also directed these banks to submit complete details of these bank accounts to the FIA in order to help the inquiry teams with the investigation.
The probe was launched on a letter written by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar, requesting an investigation against the PTI for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of junior employees.
FIA summons PTI leaders, employees
The investigation agency also summoned former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser and Punjab Minister Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid along with others.
A day earlier, the FIA had called four employees of the PTI secretariat to investigate the money laundering and embezzlement in these funds, and statements of these employees were recorded.
‘Not afraid’
Confirming that he has received a notice from FIA, Qaiser wrote on Twitter: “I want to tell the imported government that we are not afraid of such filthy tricks.”
“The imported government should avoid using the national institutions for taking political revenge,” he said, advising them to sow as much as they can bear later.
FIA Peshawar’s office has summoned Qaiser on August 11 (Thursday) at 2pm.
The notice sent to the former speaker stated that as per the verdict on Akbar S Babar’s case, Qaiser has two bank accounts and he is associated with the functioning of those two accounts; therefore he has been asked to appear before the inquiry team to answer questions regarding the details of the bank account.
FIA forms committees for investigation
According to sources, FIA has formed five investigation committees comprising of three members each in different cities, while a committee has been set up at the headquarters for coordination.
Sources further added that the committees will proceed with the investigation in line with the directions of the ECP; the terms of reference (TOR) have been issued in this regard.
FIA Director-General Mohsin Butt is overseeing all investigations.
In Karachi, the FIA has formed a five-member team headed by Deputy Director Bank Circle Rabia Qureshi comprising Assistant Director Rauf Sheikh, Inspectors Sabeen Ghauri, Aftab Watoo, and Sub Inspector Rahat Khan.
The committee has been directed to investigate funding companies, individual bank accounts, and all other monetary details, which are to be later shared with the central committee formed in the headquarters.
Akbar S Babar writes letter to FIA
The FIA launched the investigation on a letter written by Babar, requesting a probe against the PTI for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of junior employees.
Akbar S Babar formally approached the FIA to initiate a probe against the PTI on Wednesday.
Babar told the FIA that the PTI’s financial board in 2011 illegally authorised four employees of the party’s central secretariat to collect donations in their personal accounts from within Pakistan and abroad.
A sum of Rs11.104 million was deposited in the accounts of the PTI employees which was beyond their known sources of income, Babar said in his letter.
He wrote that the funds were received through the accounts of employees Tahir Iqbal, Muhammad Nauman Afzal, Muhammad Arshad, and Muhammad Rafiq.
Acting on this letter and the ECP ruling on this case, the FIA is probing the utilisation of funds from 13 undeclared accounts and has issued notices to the account holders.
Sources close to these developments say FIA also wants to probe whether there are unknown accounts, besides looking into sources of funding in these accounts, how much funds were sent through them and whether funds were transferred in accordance with the laws of host countries.
FIA traces four bank accounts of PTI
n a major development in the prohibited funding case against PTI, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has claimed to have traced at least four bank accounts of the party used to receive money from abroad.
On August 2, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), in a unanimous verdict, said it found that the PTI received prohibited funding. The commission found that donations were taken from America, Australia, Canada and the UAE. PTI received funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses including companies, the ECP verdict states. Thirteen unknown accounts have also come to light, said the commission in the verdict, adding that hiding accounts are a “violation” of Article 17 of the Constitution.
The FIA has registered an inquiry against the PTI and traced four personal and salary accounts opened in the name of PTI secretariat employees, which were being used for prohibited funding.
Sources privy to the matter said that these accounts were being blocked.
The Agency said funds were received in bank accounts of Muhammad Arshad, Tahir Iqbal, Muhammad Rafique, and Nauman Afzal, The News reported.
These employees said in their statements that they used to give the money received in their accounts to the PTI finance manager. They said they would give signed blank cheques to the finance manager. However, they said they know nothing about sources of funding. They did not know who was depositing funds in their accounts, and where the money withdrawn from their accounts was utilised. The FIA came to know during investigation that besides other accounts, foreign funding was also received in employees’ salary accounts.
FIA launches countrywide probe
On Saturday, the FIA kick-started its countrywide investigation into the utilisation of funds from ‘prohibited’ sources by the PTI.
Official sources said that an emergency has been declared in the FIA to fast investigate the case and conclude it at the earliest. A total of six inquiries have been opened simultaneously, in major cities, including the federal capital, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi.
According to FIA authorities, 13 accounts have been identified in which these funds were transferred, and the agency has issued notices to the banks under which these accounts have been operating.
Courts have also directed these banks to submit complete details of the bank accounts to the FIA in order to help the inquiry teams with the investigation.
The probe was launched on a letter, written by PTI’s founding member Akbar S Babar, requesting an investigation against the party for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of employees.
The investigation agency also summoned former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser and Punjab Minister Mian Mahmoodur Rashid along with nine others.
FIA sets up five investigation committees
According to sources, the FIA has formed five investigation committees comprising three members each in different cities, while a committee has been set up at the headquarters for coordination.
Sources said the committees would proceed with the investigations in line with the directions of the ECP; the terms of reference (ToR) have been issued in this regard.
FIA Director-General Mohsin Butt is overseeing all investigations.
In Karachi, the FIA formed a five-member team under Deputy Director Bank Circle Rabia Qureshi and comprising Assistant Director Rauf Sheikh, Inspectors Sabeen Ghauri and Aftab Watoo, and Sub Inspector Rahat Khan.
The committee has been directed to investigate funding companies, individual bank accounts, and all other monetary details, which are to be later shared with the central committee, formed at the headquarters.
The FIA Sindh has also become active and it has issued notices to former Sindh governor Imran Ismael and Seema Zia.
Akbar S Babar formally approached the FIA to initiate a probe against the PTI on Wednesday.
He told FIA that PTI’s financial board in 2011 illegally authorised four employees of the party’s central secretariat to collect donations in their personal accounts from within Pakistan and abroad.
A sum of Rs11.104 million was deposited in the accounts of the PTI employees which was beyond their known sources of income, Akbar Babar said in his letter.
Imran Khan trying to divert attention from his theft with PTI ‘power show’, says Sanaullah
Lashing out at the PTI, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday claimed that Imran Khan will suffer defeat during the upcoming by-elections in all the nine National Assembly constituencies that fell vacant after the NA speaker accepted the resignations of the concerned PTI MNAs.
Terming PTI’s back-to-back public gatherings across the country “political stunts”, Rana Sanaullah said that Imran Khan was trying to divert attention from his theft.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI is preparing to stage a ‘grand power show’ at Islamabad’s Parade Ground to decide its strategy with party supporters on the eve of Independence Day.
In a statement, the interior minister said that the PTI is allowed to stage a public gathering at the Parade Ground, adding that it will be a political stunt.
“Whoever will not cooperate with the FIA relating to an inquiry into the prohibited funding case [against PTI] will be arrested,” warned the interior minister.
Without giving an exact time frame, Sanaullah maintained that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will return to his homeland ahead of the next general elections.
Fawad advises Sanaullah to ‘be careful’
Reacting to Sanaullah’s statement, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry advised the interior minister to be careful while giving remarks about party leadership.
“Your value is not more than an SHO of the Kohsar police station,” the PTI leader told the interior minister as the ruling PML-N has no government in any province of the country.
Fawad Chaudhry also warned the interior minister of the consequences of his statements.
Taking a jab at the interior minister, the PTI leader said that Sanaullah did not visit Faisalabad since PML-N lost its government in Punjab.
Imran’s arrest may trigger ‘bloody politics’ in country, warns Rasheed
Reacting to the coalition government’s move to file references against the PTI chairman in prohibited funding and Toshakhana cases, former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Tuesday warned that attempts to arrest Imran Khan or break the party would trigger “bloody politics” in the country.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Rasheed said that the security of the country is more important than politics and power, adding that the instability in Afghanistan will also affect peace in Pakistan.
‘Govt tightening noose around PTI’
It should be noted that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a probe into the illegal funding and has summoned senior PTI leaders to appear before it.
The government is tightening the noose around PTI after the ECP ruling in the prohibited funding case and a smear campaign against the military following the Balochistan helicopter crash in which six military personnel embraced martyrdom.
Warning the ruling alliance in a series of tweets, Rasheed said that the economic collapse, political instability, increasing extortion and terrorism incidents will bury their politics.
He further added that China is thinking well of Pakistan and the rulers should understand its signals and don’t make Independence Day “a day of destruction”.
“Arresting Imran Khan and plans to break PTI will be the start of bloody politics.”
He maintained that their agenda is to disqualify Imran Khan and make Nawaz Sharif eligible.
Sources:
https://www.geo.tv/latest/432607-imrans-arrest-may-trigger-bloody-politics-in-country-warns-rasheed
https://www.geo.tv/latest/432330-prohibited-funding-case-fia-traces-four-bank-accounts-of-pti
