Money laundering case: SC orders federal cabinet to review decision of including names in ECL

Name of second biggest province's chief minister was also placed on the list, said CJP.

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Supreme Court (SC) on Monday has ordered federal cabinet to review decision of placing names of 172 accused on Exit Control List (ECL) in money laundering case. During the hearing in Supreme Court (SC), Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar asked Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi why the federal government has included names of 172 accused in ECL. Name of second biggest province’s chief minister was also placed on the list, he added.

The top judge said that this step is against the individual‘s freedom that is the right of every citizen. He also ordered PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and PPP MPA Faryal Talpur to submit their reply to JIT report’s finding in the case during this week. Joint Investigation Team (JIT) exceeded from its jurisdiction, he remarked.

The CJP rejected the plea of Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur‘s counsel Farooq H Naik to withdraw from the case while he also summoned Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman in personal capacity over leakage of JIT report.

Meanwhile, Joint Investigation Team (JIT) lawyer Faisal Siddiqui told that the team has suggested to file National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference against the accused. JIT neither proved anyone guilty nor declared anyone innocent, he added. He told that JIT head suggested to include names in ECL that were approved by the cabinet. Referring to JIT head, the CJP said that his duty was to only hold investigation.

Moreover, the court directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe into a fake audio call attributed to Latif Khosa.

The court remarked that it would make a final decision after reviewing the JIT report.

The hearing has been adjourned till January 7.

JIT report

Earlier, JIT report revealed that Omni group established 11 fake companies to operate 16 accounts in Summit Bank, eight in Sindh Bank and five in UBL.

The report further exposed that the fake entities used Park Lane Company, which is owned by former president and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, as their business addresses in their account opening forms.

According to the facts mentioned in the report, Rs8 billion transaction had been made in the bank account of Asif Zardari’s close aide Mushtaq Ahmad. He visited 80 countries along with the PPP co-chairman and has been living abroad.

The former president had presented Mushtaq as his physiotherapist, the report revealed.

The report further revealed that super model Aayan Ali transferred billions of rupees in her more than 80 visits to overseas countries.

Zardari paid Rs14 billion tax from the account of deceased Idrees, while Idrees’s fake account was operated even after death.

Five fake bank accounts had been opened in the name of Omni group employee Ashraf, while Lucky International’s account was opened under the name of Adnan Computer Hardware and the account of Royal Traders was opened under the name of Ahmad Anoosh. Dream Trading’s account was opened under the name of Rasheed Rickshawwala.

According to JIT report, four fake bank accounts were opened in the name of Iqbal Arain, who had died May 9, 2014. As many as 10 fake accounts worth Rs9 billion had been opened in the name of Omni Group employee Umair.

The report revealed that Asif Zardari along with 60 others used Omni Group’s helicopter.