PML-N, govt trade barbs over UK paper report
ISLAMABAD: Challenging Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif to sue The Mail in a British court for publishing a report against him, prime minister’s aide Shahzad Akbar on Monday showed copies of pay orders to the media, alleging that millions of rupees had been illegally transferred to a company of Mr Sharif’s son-in-law from the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra).
As a team of lawyers representing the main opposition party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz proceeded to London where they are expected to hold a consultative meeting on the matter today (Tuesday), PML-N leader and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Marriyum Aurangzeb told a press conference that Mr Sharif would not only sue the UK-based paper but also file a defamation suit against Prime Minister Imran Khan and Mr Akbar in London.
Addressing a presser, the special assistant to the PM on accountability earlier reminded the opposition leader not to back out of his plan to sue him over the published report that accused Mr Sharif of embezzling money from foreign funds.
Mr Akbar said: “Sue me in a London court and I will produce evidence of every TT [telegraphic transfer], kickbacks and illegal means of money transfer like hundi and hawala.”
PM’s aide shows documents in support of Erra scandal; opposition party’s legal team off to London to prepare lawsuit against Imran, Shahzad, newspaper
The Mail published a story alleging that the former Punjab chief minister (Shahbaz Sharif) had embezzled money from funds provided by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) to aid victims of 2005 earthquake and floods in later years.
However, PML-N refuted the story and alleged that it was published on the behest of PM Khan and Mr Akbar.
The premier’s aide then showed to the media the copies of some pay orders including the one amounting to Rs20 million that had been sent in September 2005 to a private company, Ali and Co, owned by Mr Sharif’s son-in-law Ali Imran from the Erra funds.
Mr Akbar claimed that former Erra director Naveed Ikram, who had struck a plea bargain deal with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), admitted to paying the amount as a bribe to the Sharifs. He said the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) that he headed had detected suspicious transactions through bank accounts of the Sharifs.
“Foreign remittances amounting to more than $26 million were transferred to the accounts of Sharif family members more than 200 times,” he said, adding that 59 per cent of Hamza Shahbaz’s assets were made through TTs.
Mr Akbar said those who had apparently sent remittances to the Sharif family were found to be daily wage earners such as food vendors and labourers.
In response to a question about DFID’s role, he said internal audit report also pointed out irregularities in Erra.