RAWALPINDI: Investigators in the Ayyan Ali money laundering case will be visiting Bahria Town office in Rawalpindi to verify her claim that the money found in her possession was earned through the sale of five residential plots.

A source close to the investigation team revealed that the model submitted records of sale of five files for residential plots, jointly owned by her brother and her to the customs investigators on Wednesday.

Ayyan Ali’s lawyer submitted documents detailing the deal, according to which a person named Mumtaz had bought the plots from the siblings, on behalf of Najeeb Haroon, a Dubai-based businessman. According to a source, Mr Haroon is said to have close links with a former federal minister.

The documents submitted include stamp papers and details of the deal written on a piece of paper with an estate agency’s letterhead. The model claimed that she had received payment for the plots she sold in US dollars, paid in cash. The deal amounts to $506,800.

According to sources, the investigators would be visiting Bahria Town’s Rawalpindi office in Phase 7 on Thursday to verify her claims of selling the plots.

The investigators believe that the challan in Ayyan’s case would be completed before her team of lawyers submitted her bail application, expected to be moved in the first week of April.

When Ayyan Ali was caught at Benazir Bhutto International Airport, attempting to take over $500,000 in cash with her to Dubai, she told the investigators that documents detailing her assets would be submitted to them by her lawyers.

Last Thursday, she told a customs team that she came to Islamabad to finalise the property deal and stayed for a night. She also told the team that she does not want to see her father who abandoned her when she was in high school.

She also claimed that someone who is jealous of her success may be behind this recent fiasco.

Meanwhile, despite repeated attempts, investigators have been unable to get their hands on her phone records. Both her phones were blocked as soon as she was caught by customs staff.

Like other prisoners at Adiala Jail, Ayyan can buy things such as bottled water, juices, biscuits and sweets from the jail canteen. However, prisoners are not allowed to keep cash and so a prison bank account called P.P Account has been opened for her.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2015

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