ISLAMABAD: As the foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) nears its conclusion, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was asked on Thursday to take to task all those who deliberately concealed bank accounts and facilitated receipts of prohibited funds, including Indian nationals and those from foreign companies.

Petitioner Akbar S. Babar’s counsel Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah, who completed his arguments before a three-member bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, highlighted specific details of PTI’s prohibited funding and the concealment of accounts backed by references a report of the ECP’s scrutiny committee and the record requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan.

To a question from the CEC on legal consequences of filing wrong certificates before the ECP, the petitioner’s counsel stated that any false certificate or affidavit filed before the commission could have serious consequences for all those involved, including disqualification from holding public office.

He said that based on the evidence there was no doubt that the PTI chairman Prime Minister Imran Khan filed false affidavits before the ECP. He also demanded that all those must be taken to task for violating applicable laws.

He said the scrutiny committee report stated that an amount of over $3.37 million was remitted through two PTI-registered companies (PTI NA LLC-6160 and LLC-5975) into PTI accounts maintained with two Pakistani banks.

The scrutiny committee admitted that there was no source and details of that amount, as “the scrutiny committee did not have access to the bank statements of accounts that were maintained by two PTI’s LLCs in the United States”.

Not only did the PTI concealed bank statements of the two companies, it also refused to share statements of bank accounts maintained in other countries, as directed by the scrutiny committee through its order dated April 25, 2018 and several subsequent orders, he said.

He said that regarding the LLC 6160, the scrutiny committee report identified 119 US-based companies and 47 individuals of foreign-origin contributing funds to PTI, whereas 230 US-based companies and 41 foreigners donated to PTI through the LLC 5975.

The monies received from the internationally incorporated PTI companies were prohibited at two levels. A 2002 order prohibited receipt of monies from any person other than individual Pakistanis, hence receipt of monies from entities incorporated abroad were illegal and prohibited under law, the report said.

Citing the report, Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah highlighted funding from Indian nationals, including $29,980 from one Romita Shetty.

He then pointed that out of nearly Rs837m, Rs25.6m was collected in cash in the chairman office. Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah also pointed out that $1.6m was received in another Pakistani bank account with no “source and details”.

He said the report identified two companies registered abroad that remitted $2.17m in PTI accounts.

Similarly, he listed prohibited funding from UK in PTI local bank accounts that fell in the category of foreign or prohibited funding and/or donations without sources and details.

In summary, Mr Shah referred to each amount that fell in the category of funds received from prohibited or foreign accounts or without source and details that totaled $7,322,678, Rs853,619,076, 98,608 pounds, 33,426 euros, and 8,350 Danish kroner.

He stated details of funding received in personal bank accounts of four PTI central office employees authorised in writing by PTI in July 2011 remained un-investigated, including all PTI international bank accounts.

He concluded that the evidence clearly demonstrated that the respondent submitted false certificates and made misdeclarations before the ECP for the period 2009-2013 under the signatures of the PTI chairman Imran Khan.

Finally, he stated that, as stated in the original prayer dated Nov 14, 2014, the ECP was requested to put to notice the respondent for gross violations of political funding laws and “take to task all those responsible for violating applicable laws”.

The hearing was adjourned until April 13, when the PTI is expected to conclude its arguments.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2022