Imran facilitated Farah Gogi’s corruption: PML-N

LAHORE: New disclosures about Farah Gogi’s mega corruption show her declared and non-declared assets to have grown by a staggering Rs4,520 million from 2017 to 2020. A close family friend of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, her bank accounts are stacked with over Rs14 billion, government sources said.

These new revelations prompted the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) to allege that the former premier acted as a facilitator in the illegal money-making process.

The government sources released a public report on Thursday, alleging Farah Gogi did massive corruption during the PTI government. According to government sources, over Rs14 billion are lying in 102 bank accounts of Farah Gogi, her husband Ahsan Jamil Gujjar and their partners. The declared and non-declared assets of Farhat Shahzadi alias Farah Gogi increased by Rs4,520 million from 2017 to 2020, the sources said.

Farah Gogi had herself admitted to owning assets worth Rs950 million in 2020. However, now her declared assets are valued at Rs3,825 million. This shows 420pc increase in her declared assets in three years, and 15,300pc hike in her non-declared assets during this period.

According to sources, these assets are personal properties of Farah Gogi. The assets of Jamil Gujjar, remaining relatives and partners are in addition to those of Farah Gogi.

On the other hand, SECP record proves Farah Gogi to be a shareholder in several companies, including Ghousia Builders (SMC Private Limited), Alburaq Housing Private Limited, Alburaq Foods Private Limited, Almuiz Dairy and Foods Private Limited, Dian Properties Private Limited, Doctors Clinical Care Private Limited, Sanitoria Hospital Management Company Private Limited, etc.

According to sources, after UK’s National Crime Agency returned 190 million pounds to the PTI government on Dec 3, 2019, Gogi got land on July 19, 2021, measuring 240-kanal registered in her name in return for that money. This precious land was transferred to Farah Gogi allegedly as a bribe. In return for that bribe, the PTI government did not pursue a damages case worth Rs460 billion.

Farah Gogi also took advantage of the tax amnesty scheme, announced in 2018, with the assistance of PTI chairman. Rs489 million was collected under the head of black money and bribes in government contracts for her companies. She owns agricultural land in Bahawalpur and Gujranwala, residential and commercial properties in Islamabad and Lahore and 200-kanal agriculture land in Chakri. All of these are non-declared properties. Farah Gogi and her husband also worked as directors in the guise of fake doctors in Gold Star Euro Private Limited in the UK. This company came to the fore as a shell company.

In his reaction, PMLN Punjab President Rana Sanaullah Khan, while talking to the media at the party’s Model Town office, said that Farah Bibi’s corruption was self-evident. He said legal procedure was under way to bring her back to the country, as she had fled the country when her facilitator Imran Khan was thrown out of the PM office.

However, Rana Sana said the PMLN was ready to talk to the PTI excluding Imran Khan and his close group, who were planners and executors of the May-9 [2023] incidents of attacks on defence forces installations.

About allegations of slow poisoning of Imran Khan in jail, he said “We have never stopped his medicine and food in jail.” He said he had strong suspicions that Imran Khan was getting some special ‘medicine’ in jail.

To a question, he said: “Nawaz Sharif is the leader of the party, and Shehbaz Sharif is the president.” He also said in the PMLN, all were following Nawaz Sharif. He said the PMLN would contest its candidates from all constituencies. “We are not short of candidates; we are having difficulty in selecting candidates,” he claimed. He said that Nawaz Sharif would soon meet Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and other senior politicians.

Asif Ali Zardari, being the head of his party, has the right to hinder the election of the next prime minister from Lahore, and pave the way for a premier from Larkana. “If people favour Sindh or KP in the election, we will accept it,” he added.

Replying to another question, he said Nawaz Sharif would participate in the general election. To another question, he said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is like a brother and a bold person. He is not angry with the PMLN and would always cooperate with the party.

Addressing a press conference in Model Town, PMLN leader Ataullah Tarar alleged that Farhat Shahzadi and her husband, Ahsan Jamil Gujjar, used to plan illegal actions. He claimed that former premier Imran Khan had not introduced the tax amnesty scheme for businesspeople and industrialists but for Farah Gogi.

Ata Tarar alleged that Imran Khan facilitated the corruption of Farah Gogi, and when he was losing power, he sent her out of the country to save himself. He said Farah Gogi should return and testify about the PTI chairman and her husband Ahsan Jamil Gujjar should also face the law.

He said the PMLN respected Chaudhry Iqbal Gujjar, father of Jamil Gujjar, like an elder. No one could be held responsible for the actions of his children and daughter-in-law.

The PMLN leader said Farah Gogi’s assets, “invisible and visible”, increased during the PTI government. It seemed that Imran had installed a money printing machine in Bani Gala. Such huge corruption had never happened before. He said the former premier amassed wealth through his front woman, and fraud of billions of rupees had come to the fore. He demanded the 190-million-pound case against Imran Khan should be decided as soon as possible.

Tarar said repatriation through Interpol had a procedure, that was why bringing Farah Gogi back was taking time. He said earlier Farah Gogi had assets of Rs950 million, which went up to Rs4.52 billion during the PTI government. He asked why Farah Gogi took 240-kanal land from a property tycoon.

Separately, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party Patron-in-Chief Jahangir Khan Tareen, addressing a public rally in Taxila, said their party would certainly make a Naya Pakistan. He said the IPP would give priority to people’s issues. “We must use our words wisely and must not speak ill of anyone,” Tareen remarked. He also thanked Ghulam Sarwar Khan for joining the IPP.

Addressing another public rally, President Aleem Khan said, “In fact, Farah Gogi was making Naya Pakistan” instead of Imran Khan. “Imran Khan is not sincere with his offspring. The one who is not even sincere with his children, how come he can be loyal to us,” he remarked.

He alleged that former ISI DG Lt-General (retd) Faiz Hameed victimised the now-IPP leaders during the PTI government in bid to become the army chief. He lashed out at PTI Chairman Imran Khan, saying that false cases were registered against his daughter and party’s patron-in-chief Jahangir Khan Tareen during the PTI government.

About the former PM’s rhetoric of making Pakistan a Madina-like state, Aleem said his wife Bushra Bibi was filling her coffers, while Imran was asking them to follow the principles of the state of Madina.

Meanwhile, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesperson rejected all the allegations about Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s business relationship with Farah Gogi. He said a false, baseless and fabricated propaganda campaign against his party was a desperate attempt to erase the embarrassment and mislead the nation. “The failure to achieve the desired results despite being subjected to the worst political vengeance”, he pointed out, “is causing incessant embarrassment to the unconstitutional, illegal, undemocratic and non-political state actors.”

The PTI spokesperson said the desperate attempts made to implicate the country’s Sadiq and Ameen leader in all kinds of cases on the basis of fake stories and absurd conspiracy theories would result in failure and further disappointment.

He added instead of wasting the nation’s precious money on 100 per cent submissive media and creating bad stories, if anyone has any crime, it should be proved in court. “The anti-corruption campaign of those who killed the Constitution, law and democracy to re-adopt and employ a national criminal convicted by the courts by telling stories of corruption and loot to the nation for years is nothing short of a ridiculous joke,” he contended.

Separately, he also commented on the “case of enforced disappearance and abduction of PTI’s Central Additional Secretary General Ali Nawaz Awan” and strongly condemned his enforced disappearance. The Chief Justice, he urged, should take notice of this lawlessness and fascism and seek answers from the caretaker government.