Offshore companies: NAB summons Zulfi Bukhari on Monday

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Zulfi Bukhari, a close friend of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, on Monday with regard to inquiry into his offshore companies.

In the summons issued to Zulfi Bukhari, the NAB Rawalpindi directed him to appear before the investigation team and bring relevant record with him. The NAB had already summoned Zulfi Bukhari four times, but he never appeared before the investigation team, which is probing those 435 Pakistanis whose names surfaced in the PanamaLeaks for owning the offshore companies.

Zulfi Bukhari owns six offshore companies which were disclosed in PanamaLeaks and the NAB in its notice asked him to appear before the investigation team and explain facts about his offshore companies which have been used to buy dozens of expensive commercial properties in London’s expensive zone.

The NAB had sent a request to the Interior Ministry to place the name of Zulfi Bukhari on the Exit Control List (ECL), but instead his name was put on the black list of the ministry.

Zulfi Bukhari’s issue surfaced in the media after he was allowed to leave the country for Umrah with Imran Khan on a chartered plane despite being placed on the Interior Ministry’s black list.

Caretaker Interior Minister Azam Khan admitted on June 21 before the Senate’s Committee on Interior that he allowed Zulfi Bukhari to leave the country after he filed an official request.

It is to be mentioned here that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also ordered Zulfi Bukhari to cooperate with the NAB in investigations.