FIA team set up to probe tampering with SECP record

ISLAMABAD: A four-member committee of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been constituted to investigate the allegations of tampering with record of Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) leveled by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in its report submitted to the Supreme Court bench, the sources told The News here on Wednesday.

The sources said the committee comprising Deputy Director Hazrat Ali, Ayaz Khan and Tahir Tanvir would be headed by Director Anti-Corruption Wing Maqsoodul Hasan and it would investigate the allegations of tampering with the SECP record.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Supreme Court bench overseeing the implementation of the Panama case verdict ordered the FIA to probe charges against SECP chairman and directors that they tampered with record related to the Sharif family money trail.

"The committee will seek statement from the SECP chairman and other officials who are related to compile and manage the record of the SECP. It will compile a report on the basis of the investigation and submit it to the Supreme Court bench," the sources said.

The JIT, constituted by the Supreme Court to probe businesses and financial dealings of the Sharif family, alleged in its report submitted to the Supreme Court that certain state institutions were tampering with the record and creating impediments in its work, besides threatening some members of the team.

It also alleged in its report that the SECP chairman and executive director were tampering with the record and showing non-cooperative attitude. The report stated, "The JIT asked the SECP for record of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and all past inquiries against Sharif family but the SECP denied any inquiries held against Sharif family in the past, while a witness told that the SECPchairman directed not to search the record of inquiries."

"The SECP chief also ordered tampering with the record of Chaudhry Sugar Mills and Executive Director Ali Azeem changed it from past dates. Azeem was also nominated by the SECP chairman for inclusion in the JIT to sabotage investigations," the report said. The spokesman for the SECP categorically rejected the JIT's allegations of tampering with the record and stated, "Our data is not manual and it is in online archive.” The SECP in its response to the SC said, "The JIT has error in comprehending the factual issues and misread the record. Apparently any statement attributed to the officers may be [the] result of coercion and stress, which cannot be taken into consideration in view of the facts and records."

The sources said the FIA's team would start its work from Thursday but it had so far not been decided how much time it would take to investigate and submit its report to the SC.