ISLAMABAD: PTI chairman Imran Khan should be put on notice for gross violations of political funding laws, as dozens of foreign and local bank accounts were concealed from the Election Commission.
It was demanded by the petitioner in PTI foreign funding case Akbar S Babar while addressing a news conference. Babar alleged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) concealed illegal funding of about billions of rupees and millions of dollars which it received from foreign firms and individuals from India and other countries. He said that the case is at the final stage and PM Khan has already lost the battle.
He maintained that the party also failed to disclose dozens of local and foreign bank accounts from the Election Commission of Pakistan. Citing the State Bank of Pakistan’s requisitioned documents, he pointed out over two million dollars from one offshore company alone were detected in addition to illegal funding from 349 foreign companies and 88 individuals of foreign origin including India.
Besides, PTI also received over seven million dollars prohibited/foreign funding or funding without source. He demanded that PTI chairman be put on notice for gross violations of political funding laws as well as all others involved in it, as dozens of foreign and local bank accounts were concealed from the Election Commission.
He submitted the review report before the Election Commission of Pakistan, earlier in the day. Babar said the documents requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan revealed that PTI Chairman Imran Khan consistently submitted false and fake annual certificates to the Election Commission of Pakistan. The illegal money received in cheques and cash included Rs 852 million and Rs25.61 million respectively in PTI chairman office.
In addition, PTI also received British pounds 94,616 and euros 27,260 from prohibited/foreign sources. From fiscal years 2008-12, the review report says PTI under the signatures of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, only revealed two accounts for each year and for the year 2013, revealed four PTI bank accounts before the ECP. Whereas, the record from the State Bank of Pakistan reveals PTI concealed five accounts in year 2008-9, seven in 2009, 13 in 2010, 14 each in 2011 and in 2012-13.
In addition, bank statements of KASB bank account (01135461001) revealed in PTI audit report 2013 submitted before ECP remains concealed as well as bank statements of four PTI bank accounts related to ‘Disaster Fund, Party’s Fund etc’ also remains concealed in contravention of the scrutiny committee order dated 25 April 2018. Moreover, bank statements of PTI bank account with Bank Alfalah, Township Branch, Lahore, remains concealed where about Rs24 million was transferred from the bank accounts revealed.
On July 03, 2018, ECP directed the State Bank of Pakistan to direct all scheduled banks to furnish the PTI bank accounts information directly to the Election Commission. As part of the documents shared with the complainant, only bank statements of nine banks out of total of 50 scheduled banks were shared. The responses of the remaining 41 banks to the State Bank directive were not shared with the complainant.
The scrutiny of documents requisitioned through the State Bank makes a shocking revelation that all PTI foreign exchange remittances in the defunct KASB bank accounts remain secret. This was revealed in two separate letters (July 16, 2018 & August 20, 2018) from Bank Islami Pakistan Ltd. to the Election Commission for reasons of incompatibility of software.
It is interesting to note that between the first and second letter, general elections were held in the country on July 25, 2018 and the PTI Chairman Imran Khan took oath as PM on August 18, 2018.
The scrutiny of record requisitioned through the State Bank revealed concealment of funds by PTI received from Denmark, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Finland, Austria, Saudi Arabia and Norway.
PTI authorized and subsequently concealed all donations received by four PTI central office employees. The list of PTI employees authorized by the PTI Finance Board document dated 01 July 2018 to receive funding on behalf of PTI both from Pakistan and outside Pakistan included Tahir Iqbal, CNIC No13503-0531080-3; Muhammad Numan Afzal, CNIC No 33303-8741547-1, Muhammad Arshad, CNIC No 38403-6840581-5; and Muhammad Rafiq CNIC No 54303-1904185-3.
The bank statements of all PTI international bank accounts maintained abroad remain concealed that include but not limited to Bank of America accounts maintained by PTI in USA for PTI NA LLC No 5975 and 6160: 488037228011, 488028507602, and 488037228024. PTI Canada-CIBC Bank Account No. 228428706, PTI Australia-Insaf Australia Incorporated (Australian Business Number 45838549859) from the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) bank account number 00102012397479527102.
PTI UK – Lloyds Bank (Sort Code 30-92-90), account number 00191424 and account number 26675768, bank statements of PTI Finland, bank statements of PTI Norway, bank statements of Insaf New Zealand.
Babar said the over seven-year-old case has now come to a conclusive stage, as there are significant facts about illegalities committed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his financial team to merit action under the law.
In this regard, he requested the Election Commission to put to ‘notice’ the respondent PTI Chairman Imran Khan for submitting false and fake annual certificates before the Election Commission and take to task all those responsible for violating applicable laws, including but not limited to; making false declarations, concealment of accounts, receiving funds from prohibited/foreign sources/without source and details, and concealing funds received in the personal bank accounts of four PTI Central Office employees.
Regarding the foreign funding case, he said the Election Commission heard the case on no fewer than 170 occasions while on more than 54 occasions, PTI sought written and/or oral adjournment on various pretexts: PTI filed no less than 12 applications on similar grounds demanding secrecy, maintainability and PTI membership of the complainant Akbar S Babar.
Likewise, the ECP and the Scrutiny Committee passed at least 41 orders directing PTI to submit documents/financial records that remain un-complied: PTI engaged nine counsels to represent it in various capacities before the ECP and/or the courts during the course of the case since November 2014.
“The history of PTI delaying tactics is best summed up by the Election Commission of Pakistan in its order of 10 October 2019. The order declares this case being the worst historical example of abuse of the process of law,” he asserted.
The final Scrutiny Committee report was shared with the ‘complainant’ on 04 January 2022 after nearly four years. Critical portions of the report were kept secret, particularly all the documents and PTI bank statements acquired through the State Bank of Pakistan.
Though, the Election Commission ordered sharing of the secret portions of the report on January 18, 2022, the sharing of secret portions started on 31 January 2022 and concluded on 7 February 2022.
Prohibited/foreign funding or funding without source and details identified from documents requisitioned through the State Bank. The funding details include PTI NA LLC $3.36million; Romita Shetty (Indian National) and Nasser Ahmad
$29,980; donations from within Pakistan Rs836 million; donations from USA $1.5 million; Wootton Cricket Limited, offshore company registered in Cayman Islands $2.1million; Bristol Engineering Services FZ LLC, Dubai $49,965; PTI UK, Westwood Gardens Barnes, London $ 24,605; PTI UK, Staffordshire
Pounds 92,875; SSS Marketing Pounds1,741; PTI Finland Euros 27,260; E Planet Trustees PTC; Zurich $100,000; PTI, Norway Rs1,816,393; PTI Australia Rs12,875,175; PTI Canada $ 25,174; PTI Canada Rs 434,000 and Insaf New Zealand $ 3,782.
The scrutiny of record revealed the countries from where funds in foreign currencies and PKR were remitted into PTI accounts but were kept secret by PTI in the documents submitted by it before the ECP and they include Denmark, Germany, UAE, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, New Zealand.
In Geo News programme ‘AAJ Shahzeb Khanzada kay Saath’ Shahzeb Khanzada said that eight volumes which were kept secret at the time when the report was made public now had been handed over to petitioner Akbar S Babar who had released salient features of the eight volumes. Akbar S Babar said that according to SBP record, PTI was illegally funded from 12 countries and PTI concealed 14 bank accounts from the ECP. PTI was funded from Denmark, Germany, UAE, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong. Finland. Austria, S Arabia and Norway. PTI was given illegal funds to the tune of $73,22,000 and 94,000 pound and 27,000 euro. Fakhar Durrani also said in his story that PTI got $4,50,0000 from two accounts in America but ECP scrutiny committee was not informed about the details and sources. -News Desk