FIA told to respond to Anwar Majeed’s harassment accusation

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other respondents to file comments on a petition filed by the Omni Group chief against alleged harassment and registration of cases by the agency.

Petitioner Anwar Majeed, a close aide of Pakistan People Party leader and former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, had moved the court against alleged harassment by the FIA. He submitted in his petition that the FIA had registered false cases against him and his family members on the basis of an inquiry pertaining to a multi-billion-rupee money laundering scam. Majeed, Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and others were charge sheeted by the investigation agency in the scam.

The petitioner said the FIA was registering false cases against him and his family members. He asked the court that the details of the cases pending against him be provided to him. The high court directed the investigation agency to file comments on the petition and called the investigating officer to appear before the court on November 20.

The FIA took notice of the scam when the financial monitoring unit of the State Bank of Pakistan generated a suspicious transaction report this January regarding 10 bank accounts, reporting that over 20 unknown accounts at a private bank were opened between 2013 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made.

The FIA declared Zardari and Faryal absconders in a corruption case relating to fake accounts and fictitious transactions worth Rs35 billion. The case was initially registered against Hussain Lawai and other accused bankers.

Lawai and other bankers were accused of facilitating the opening of 29 fake accounts at the Summit Bank, the Sindh Bank and the United Bank Limited, where beneficiaries of the Sindh government had deposited Rs35 billion that was subsequently transferred to different accounts.

A Supreme Court-mandated joint investigation team headed by FIA Additional Director General Ahsan Sadiq has been investigating the money laundering of Rs35 billion through fake bank accounts. The team is investigating 32 people, including Zardari and his sister.