Tax returns contradict ‘Qatari letter’ presented by Imran

ISLAMABAD: The letter of one Rashid Khan (AKA Qatari letter) produced by PTI chief Imran Khan in the Supreme Court to establish the money trail to purchase the Banigala palace and annexed bank documents with this letter showing receiving remittances of tens of millions of rupees is contradicted by the annual tax returns submitted by Rashid Khan in the corresponding years.

In order to complete the missing links of money trail for the purchase of his 300 kanal Bani Gala palace, Imran Khan letter from an Islamabad-based wealthy businessman Rashid Ali Khan that in fact he received some remittances from Jemima Khan in the years 2002 and 2003 which were used to make payments for the purchase of the Banigala land in the same years. Imran Khan has pleaded that this arrangement was made as he was busy in international travels, something challenged by the opponent lawyer.

Subsequently, Imran was ordered to produce copies of his passport. Rashid Ali Khan was appointed as member of Board of Directors of Bank of Khyber after PTI made government in KP. Along with the letter of Rashid Khan, PTI chief has also annexed two letters issued by Citi Bank, Pakistan, which were issued on December 16, 2003 and January 7, 2004.

According to Citi Bank letter dated December 16, 2003 issued to Rashid Ali Khan from bank’s relationship officer Abbas Afridi submitted in SC, following remittances were received in his account: March 3, 2002: USD700 - Rs41,790; April 11, 2002: USD258,333 - Rs15,422,480; August 1, 2002: USD200,000 - Rs11,830,000; August 31, 2002: USD45,000 - Rs2,655,000; August 31, 2002: USD20,000 - Rs1,180,000; September 9, 2002: USD10,660 - Rs627,341; October 5, 2002: USD16,000 - Rs938,400; November 19, 2002: USD5,000 - Rs290,750; December 11, 2002: USD5,000 - Rs290,500; and January 23, 2003: USD100,000 - Rs5,785,000.

According to the other Citi Bank letter dated January 7, 2004 issued to Rashid Ali Khan from bank’s relationship officer Zubair Khan Bangash, also submitted in SC, following remittances were received in the account: July 31, 2002: USD275,678; January 22, 2003: USD100,000; April 12, 2003: USD110,000; May 20, 2003: USD100,029; and July 29, 2003: USD20,000.

Citi Bank closed its operations in Pakistan in 2012-13. It looks strange why these letters were obtained in the years 2003 and 2004 and why some transactions were missing in the first letter claimed to be obtained on December 16, 2003. Bank statements and such letters are mostly obtained to file annual tax returns. However, when The News checked annual tax returns of Rashid Ali Khan for the corresponding years, 90% of these remittances were not reflected in the tax returns.

In his Wealth Reconciliation Statement for the year ending June 30, 2003 annexed with his annual tax returns of the same year, available with The News, Rashid Khan only declared Rs11,139,650 as foreign remittances in the whole financial year starting from July 1, 2002 and ending on June 30, 2003. No other entry on account of receiving foreign remittances exists in the in the tax return and annexed statements.

The above letters submitted by PTI chief Imran Khan in the apex court shows total 15 remittances, 12 of them correspond to tax year 2003. Changing statements on the issue of purchase of Banigala land and finally production of these dubious letters which are contradicted by official documents has raised serious questions over the money trail of PTI chief’ purchase of Banigala land.