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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday summoned PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in connection with a probe into 29 ‘benami’ accounts allegedly used to channel illicit funds, an FIA official told DawnNewsTV.
The development came a day after the Supreme Court directed the Interior Ministry to place the names of all those connected to the accounts on its Exit Control List (ECL) to prevent them from leaving the country before the case is concluded.
The FIA has constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), headed by FIA Sindh chief Munir Ahmed Shaikh, to investigate the matter.
The duo has been directed to appear before the authorities on Wednesday to record their statements and explain their position on the accounts and transactions.
Recent developments in the case have sent shockwaves through the PPP, with Zardari scrambling to pull together a team of legal experts to extricate him from the situation. According to sources privy to the development, star lawyers Farooq H. Naek, Aitzaz Ahsan, Nayar Bukhari and Latif Khosa will brief Zardari on his legal options.
Zardari's close friend and Pakistan Stock Exchange Chairman Hussain Lawai, along with Summit Bank’s corporate unit head Taha Raza, have been taken into FIA custody in connection with the case.
PPP's reaction
In response to the development, PPP today issued a statement linking the "character assassination" of Asif Zardari to the ongoing election campaign.
"Always a character assassination campaign is launched against Asif Zardari during elections," PPP leader Saeed Ghani claimed.
"The exploiter gang is frustrated at Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's popularity," he said, adding that the already closed cases [against Zardari] are being re-opened after they realised the popularity of Bilawal. "Why don't they recall the reference of the judicial murder of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto?" he asked. "Masters became active after the failure of their pawns," he added.
Suo motu notice
The apex court had last week taken suo motu notice of a 2015 probe into suspicious transactions made through 29 ‘benami’ accounts — 16 held in Summit Bank, eight in Sindh Bank and five in UBL.
Seven individuals, including Zardari and Talpur, were said to be involved in using those accounts for suspicious transactions which summed up to Rs35 billion. The accounts were allegedly used to channel funds received through kickbacks.
Among the suspected beneficiaries, the apex court has summoned: Nasser Abdulla Lootah, Ansari Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd (Anwar Majeed, Ali Kamal Majeed), Omni Polymer Packages Pvt Ltd, Pak Ethnol Pvt Ltd, Chamber Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, M/s Agro Farms Thatta Pvt Ltd; Zardari Group Pvt Ltd (Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur), Parthenon Pvt Ltd (Iqbal Khan Noori), A-One International (account identified in Suspicious Transaction Report), Lucky International (STR), Logistic Trading (STR), Royal International (STR) and Umair Associates (STR).
Those who reportedly deposited the money into the accounts were: Bahria Town Karachi (Zain Malik), Sujawal Agro Farms Pvt Ltd, Tando Allahyar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, Omni Pvt Ltd, Agro Farms Thatta Pvt Ltd, Alfa Zulu Co Pvt Ltd, Haji Mureed Akbar (banker on behalf of contractor), Sher Mohammad Mugheri & Co (contractor), M/s Sardar Mohammad Ashraf D. Baloch Pvt Ltd (contractor), A-One International (STR), Lucky International (STR), Logistic Trading (I.I. Chundrigar) (STR), Iqbal Metals (STR), Royal International (STR) and Umair Associates (STR).
On Monday, the top court had directed all suspects, including Zardari and Talpur, to appear before the court.
Additional reporting by Nadir Gurmani.
Comments (48) Closed
Looking at the overall developments, it seems that there is a hope that in the near future Pakistan will be ruled by comparatively cleaner people who are more interested in development of the country and well being of the masses than building their business empires and collecting kick backs through corruption and corrupt practices.
Because of one man, millions are suffering.
Good to see that our untouchable leaders have to answer tough questions regarding their black money
How lawyers of this stature are going to rescue their leader from channelizing money received through kickbacks?
Time has come to differentiate between good and evil and our ruling class is proven evil as Pakistan has failed to progress after October 1958.A very poor country where the so called famous lawyers charge hundred of millions of Rupees for defending corrupt leaders but now things are different as real justice has come into action and all these lawyers will fail.No one can hide the truth.
Justice is settling down to take the long due challenge to uproot the general corruption eating into the basis of the society.
The time came once again when memory of Zardari will be effected and some doctors will endorse the decease of this self proclaimed public loving leader. Other leaders of the Zardari party (not people party) will sing this song jointly and individually
Zardari has been getting away with corrupt practices for years and look at he condition of Sind it is high time this man is held to account.
i hope they get the duo
We dont trust on the JIT formed by FIA.We want the same persons who probed NS and family.
We demand SC to order same JIT for Zardari and Faryyal, it will be a balanced act.
Kindly ban the Banks, who are also responsible !!!!!
good step by apex court after Nawaz now Zardari will be in Adiala Jail
State have thousands of proof against Zardari for so many crimes. Open trial must be conducted for Uzair Baloch JIT.
@Orakzai. because of all the rest of you remaining silent.
It is good to see that the name of a powerful supremo has been placed on ECL and have been summoned to appear in HC. While the case of fake accounts is under investigation FIA should not focus only on that three banks instead they should spread their investigation to other banks also and for this purpose they need to conduct a forensic audit trial because this has happened in the case where NBP and other banks were involved in opening of fake accounts and I am sure they will succeed to unearth more cases of financial crimes.
If Mr Zardari is clean, then why is PPP so defensive. Zardari has already been cleared of numerous cases and he should have trust in our judicial system. Instead PPP is trying to make it an election issue.
Pakistan Exit Control List is getting bigger and bigger.
I would feel much better if they pass the law who ever is elected member of the Parliament his name is automatically added to Exit Control List.
It would make things so much easier for Interior Ministery
We must thank our judiciary for starting to clear this mess created by corrupt politicians.
Very soon Zardari will follow Shariffs to Adiala Jail.
Great job once again by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, by ordering FIA to launch investigations under due process of law, against two more big fish, stemming from the "fraud, deceit, deception and corruption club" of the country and directly involved in illegal, immoral and unetical transactions of Rs.35/- billion of kickbacks money to their foreign accounts. Keep it up and hang on tough.
The Apex Court is not contesting elections, nor it can. The PPP must let the law complete its course, no body is above law.
Expecting to see PPP play the sindh card soon.
Everyone in Pakistan and abroad is tremendously impressed with Pakistan's solid Judicial System which is not letting anyone off the hook.
Popularity of Bilawal Bhutto, he is as popular as George Michaels for the wrong reasons. Some of the statements are quite hilarious.
@Orakzai. I still blame the "awam".
We did not have a Urdu word for corruption. Then Zardari became the president. Now we have a Urdu world for it.
Excellent work
What a mess in PK! Where were the authorities all this time? Everyone who knew about this and did not act should be accountable.
Nothing will happen. PPP got a NRO long time back and their alliance with more powerful sources has made them a political party of saints overnight. They are way above the law otherwise they should have been caught long long time ago. A recent example of alliance is the bail of Rao Anwar which he got today. Sorry state of affairs in Sindh.
@realistic . Yeah, we must wake up, and turn the tide.
Mr Zardari has always faced such cases. He was always freed. No true case against him.
One wonders why these corrupts were allowed to do their corruption for so long?
Great news smooth and and no hurdle ride for IK
His greed has caught up with him.
@Abbas oh ya, who is asking? lol
Lock them up.
So where is Zardari Sahab? In KLarachi or in Dubai?
Bringing corrupt leaders to courts is a long-awaited development in Pakistan. I commend all those who have contributed to these historic days.
Come down hard on them now, no compromises.
Finally justice is coming to Pakistan. Please clean up properly.
It's better for you both and all who are being asked to present yourself in front of Courts, FIA or any other law enforcement departments, jus go, otherwise, will be arrested like Ahad Chema and Fawad Hassan Fawad, they were very powerful like you.
Under pressure new deal will be accomplished by underground powers to keep Zardari Government in Sind only to help IK and nothing else will come out of this case .
@Dr Patel. Under given circumstances he’s invisible, can’t be touched!
All are accountable for any wrong doing. Anyone whose hands are clean need not get frightened. Pakistan has lost great deal of resources and honour because of corruption by the elite class politicians who cared more for their personal gains than the country. It is time to clean Pakistan of corruptions and wrong doing and restore its prestige.
Here we are talking about money laundering of 35 billion. It is huge man !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a good progress and good luck for Pakistan.