LAHORE: The forensic audit of the data recovered from the price manipulators (satta agents) in connection with the multi-billion sugar scam could not be done despite a passage of over three months, thus indirectly benefiting a number of sugar mills allegedly involved in price manipulation.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Lahore, in March last detected Rs110 billion earning by the sugar mafia during the last one year through ‘speculative pricing.’ Subsequently, the FIA registered FIRs against 40 satta-agents and over a two-dozen mills, including those belonging to ruling PTI’s estranged leader sugar baron Jahangir Tareen, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza, federal minister Khusro Bakhtiar and two media houses.

The FIA appears to be clueless when the forensic audit of the recovered data would be done to help it establish its case.

“We are awaiting the forensic audit report as without it laying hands on suspects is not easy,” an official told Dawn on Friday. He said the forensic audit would help establish the link of the price manipulators with the sugar mills.

On the other hand, the FIA cyber crime which carries out the forensic of the data recovered from the electronic devices of the suspects gives a priority to the request of other wings of the agency (FIA) or other departments like NAB and police.

“In case the volume of the recovered data is high then usually it takes a bit more time,” he said.

To a question whether the delay aimed at benefiting Tareen, Khusro and other high profile suspects in this scam, the FIA official insisted that ‘the probe was underway against all suspects but to secure prosecutable evidence (against them) was a lengthy process.

“In Tareens’ case, financial benefits of Jahangir Tareen’s son Ali Tareen are currently under investigation. Similarly, Hamza has been given a last chance to provide a money trail regarding Rs25bn money laundering,” he said.

Since March last, the FIA has only been issuing call-up and show-cause notices to the suspects with no arrest.

Last week, the agency issued show-cause notices to 10 satta agents and Hamza under the Money Laundering Act, giving them 30 days to provide the money trail of the money laundering and the record of the properties to their and their family members names .

The FIA has also forewarned the Punjab Assembly opposition leader (Hamza) to comply with its order within 30 days or face confiscation of his properties.

Earlier, the FIA had not sought Jahangir Tareen and Ali Tareen’s arrest before two courts, citing lack of ‘incriminating evidence’ against them in the money laundering and sugar scam cases. The move was termed by opposition PML-N ‘NRO’ given by Prime Minister Imran Khan to his old friend to save his own and his handpicked Usman Buzdar’s governments as some 10 MNAs and 30 MPAs were supporting Tareen.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2021