KARACHI: An anti-corruption court on Thursday indicted former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and around 25 others in around two dozen identical cases pertaining to a multi-billion rupee trade subsidy scam.

The former premier, some former and serving senior officials of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), including its former chairman Tariq Iqbal Puri and former director general Abdul Karim Daudpota, have been booked for their alleged involvement in approval and disbursement of fraudulent trade subsidies of billion of rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and backdated cheques during the term of the Pakistan Peoples Party government at the Centre.

The judge of the special federal anti-corruption court-I, Mohammad Azeem, read out the charges against Mr Gilani, Mr Puri, Mr Daudpota, Mohammad Zubair, former deputy secretary (personal) to the PM, and around 20 others.

However, they pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the charges.

Former PM, others plead not guilty and opt to contest charges

The court summoned the prosecution witnesses on April 16 for evidence.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had charge-sheeted Mr Gilani in around 25 out of over 70 cases pertaining to the trade subsidy scam in 2014.

According to the final investigation reports, the Ministry of Commerce had announced 25 per cent freight subsides under the trade policy for 2002-03 to promote export of non-traditional items which brought less than $5 million annually.

The FIA reports claimed that Faisal Siddique Khan, said to be the alleged frontman of the former premier, and M. Firdous had visited the Prime Minister’s House to give Rs5 million to Mr Gilani for allegedly directing the chief executive of TDAP to approve subsidy claims filed by Mr Siddique. It said Mr Zubair had received the money.

The major share of funds disbursed to various firms went into the hands of Mr Siddique through his frontmen Mian Tariq, Mehr Haroon Rasheed and others, it added.

The reports further said that on the directives of former commerce minister late Amin Fahim, Farhan Junjeo, a (BPS-18) officer who is under suspension and facing departmental inquiry, was requisitioned from the Sindh government and inducted into the ministry in August 2009, regardless of the fact that his case was pending. Mr Junjeo was made director in the commerce minister’s office and he issued directives in subsidy cases, it added.

He worked in the commerce ministry without salary since the accountant general of Sindh had not issued last pay certificate over his unauthorised absence, thus his appointment was against the law, the reports said.

It further contended in the investigation reports that out of 48 companies 22 were unfounded while remaining were ineligible to obtain this facility.

Mr Junejo, Mehr Haroon Rasheed, Mian Tariq and others are absconders in the cases.

Talking to reporters later, Mr Gilani — who was accompanied by his lawyer Farooq H. Naek — said that charges against him were framed with mala fide intentions of political victimisation, adding that he had been implicated in around 25 cases merely on the basis of a single identical allegation.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2018