Two held as probe shows Chinese boss killed over internal dispute
KARACHI: Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday announced arrest of two suspects allegedly involved in killing of Chinese national Chen Zu, managing director of Cosco Shipping Pakistan, who was gunned down at Zamzama in Clifton on Feb 5.
The arrested suspects were identified as Saqib, son of one of the partners of the company, and Rehman Hashmi, an employee of the same firm, said CTD DIG Saqib Ismail Memon at a press conference.
The suspects had hired an assassin for whose identification the officer announced a Rs2 million reward as the killer could be seen in the CCTV footage obtained from the crime scene.
The victim was appointed MD of the firm in February 2017, which had no link with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
‘In Pakistan, it is so easy to hire a gunman for killing someone’
Chen Zu was a highly competent and honest person whose appointment was made by the Chinese government, said Mr Memon.
After assuming charge, Mr Chen made “drastic changes” in the company, prompting differences between him and his local partners, which led to the murder.
Financial dispute seen as probable motive
“The murder of Chen Zu prima facie does not look [like] an act of terrorism,” said additional inspector general of CTD Dr Sanaullah Abbasi.
The AIG told Dawn that “the murder appears to be a result of a monetary dispute and financial damages inflicted by the deceased on the family of the Pakistan partners.”
According to a report of the investigations carried out by Raja Umar Khattab, in-charge of the CTD, obtained by Dawn, after two to three months of taking charge as MD of the firm, Chen Zu started rightsizing in the company on the plea that the company had “surplus and non-professional staff”.
In the first phase, he fired the finance manager with four to five others.
According to the bylaws of the company, “no family member of the partners should have employment in the company”.
Thereafter, contradictory to the company bylaws, three family members of the Pakistani partners were employed at handsome salaries and benefits, including Ahsan Saeed, Saqib Ahmed and Amber Ahmed.
On the decision of Chen Zu, Ahsan Saeed quit the company.
“That obviously caused a monetary loss to the family of the Pakistani partners,” said the report.
The MD then demoted two other family members from the post of directors: Saqib Ahmed and Amber Ahmed.
In November 2017, the permanent status of jobs of Saqib Ahmed and Amber Ahmed were converted to ‘contractual employment’ by Chen Zu. He allowed this contractual employment until Jan 31, 2018. On a request of director Shakeel Ahmed, Chen Zu extended Amber’s contract until Feb 28, 2018. But Saqib Ahmed’s contract was not extended beyond Jan 31 despite repeated requests by Shakeel Ahmed.
Mr Chen issued a termination notice on Feb 1 to Saqib Ahmed, which Mr Ahmed deliberately did not receive and left office on Feb 1. However, he visited the office on Feb 2 and 3.
The CTD report pointed out that the building housing Cosco office located at Lalazar is owned by Nazir Ahmed and sons established by Shakeel Ahmed’s father. At present, the rent is being received by Shakeel Ahmed, the partner.
Chen Zu intended to shift the company’s office to another building, Clifton Pride. “This could be a big monetary loss to the Pakistani partners,” said the report.
Chen Zu had also contracted a private law firm to seek some legal opinion on the position of China-based Cosco, which owns 70 per cent shares against Pakistani partners’ 30pc shares.
“Maha Ahmed, daughter of Saeed Ahmed, partner of the Cosco company, works in the same law firm who told this to her family,” disclosed the report. “This spread panic in the family members of Pakistani partners.”
The CTD said that Shakeel Ahmed and his family members approached Rehan Hashmi, finance manager of the company, to share emails of Chen Zu with them, as he had the password of Chen Zu’s email address.
Rehan Hashmi agreed and was allegedly leaking contents of the emails to the Pakistani patterns.
According to the investigations, it transpired that the held suspect, Saqib Ahmed, had also taken a photograph in his mobile phone, which he later on deleted from his phone, showing his mala fide intention. It reads: “I wish Chen as my target.”
The CTD investigation also contains a chat of the suspect, Saqib, who was allegedly seen replying to a question that who killed Chen Zu by saying: “In Pakistan, it is so easy to pay gunman for killing someone.”
Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2018