MQM money-laundering case: FIA grills two ministers for an hour

ISLAMABAD: Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem on Tuesday was questioned for over an hour by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a money laundering case. Sources said the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader appeared before an FIA team, and was accompanied by party chief and IT Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui. Naseem is accused of transferring Rs268,000 in an account of Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation, the charity wing of MQM. Various members of the party are accused of carrying out money laundering using the charity’s accounts. The investigative agency’s counter-terrorism wing on Sunday had sent out notices to 726 people working at different positions within the party, instructing them to get in touch with its Islamabad head office, sources said.

The party members are accused of depositing large sums of money —over Rs1 billion — in KKF accounts.

A case against the MQM founder and KKF was registered in Oct 2017 on accusations of money laundering but was later transferred to the FIA.