FIA traces 30 benami accounts in KP

Ag Agencies

PESHAWAR: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has unearthed more benami accounts that were used for the transaction of billions of rupees, it was learnt.

A source said that the FIA has unearthed around 30 more fictitious accounts in Peshawar and other districts of the province that were used for the transaction of billions of rupees in the past.

FIA officials revealed that accounts were operated under the name of eight domestic workers hired by an influential businessman.

The said workers earned only between Rs12,000 to Rs15,000, yet transactions amounting to Rs10 billion had been conducted through their bank accounts, the FIA said. The accounts were used to launder money around different districts of the province, the agency's officials said, adding that some of the accounts were in Buner, Swat, Kalam and Basham.

"National Identity Cards of those involved have been sent to the State Bank for further information and to find out if there are more bank accounts present under their name," the FIA officials added.

The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.

Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July in connection with the probe. The former president's another close aide and Omni Group chairman, Anwar Majeed, and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed, were also arrested by the FIA in August. Lawai, Majeed and his son remain under custody.

Earlier this month, FIA sources informed that the mastermind of the money laundering and fake accounts case, Aslam Masood, had been arrested by the Interpol from Jeddah.