By News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Barrister Shahzad Akbar alleged on Thursday a sophisticated network of money laundering was being run from the Punjab Chief Minister Secretariat under the patronage of former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Talking to media, Barrister Akbar claimed over Rs7 billion had been laundered by just one company, Good Nature Trading Company, through 200 fake Telegraphic Transfers (TTs) and assets of Salman Shahbaz Sharif increased by over 8,000 times in last one decade.
A new business empire was established by utilising the corruption amount through a network of fake TTs, which was totally separate from the Sharif family’s business of Ittefaq Group, the PM’s aide claimed.
Sharing details of alleged money laundering, he alleged Shahbaz Sharif established a fake company, Good Nature Trading Company, and appointed his front men Nisar Gill as Director Political Affairs in the CM Secretariat and Ali Ahmed as Director Policy CM Punjab and they did money laundering on behalf of the Shahbaz family. “The fake company was actually run by Salman Shahbaz. The company did Rs7 billion business, that too on papers. He claimed two more characters, including Shoaib Qamar and Mansoor Anwar, were involved in money laundering network as cash boys. They used to deposit money in different accounts. They withdrew Rs 2.1 billion cash from the account of Good Nature Company. Rs 16 million were deposited in the account of Shahbaz Sharif, who transferred it to Ms Tehmina Durrani. The same amount was used for purchasing property in Whispering Pines Villas.
The same cash boys deposited Rs 25 million to Salman Shahbaz’s account after withdrawing from Good Nature Company. Similarly another amount was transferred to account of Hamza Shahbaz, who transferred it to the account of his wife and utilised the same amount for purchasing properties in Johar Town, Lahore. The remaining amount was stashed away through TTs. The whole process was done in papers. He said Rs 6.8 billion was withdrawn from Good Nature Company’s account and Rs 4.7 billion and then injected to another company.
The PM’s aide further said: “The control room was in Chief Minister Secretariat and some more characters of money laundering network would emerge soon.”
He urged the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to prosecute the cases and take to logical conclusion. Plea bargain option existed for Nawaz Sharif as the government wanted to recover the money and does not want to keep anyone in jail.
Posing 18 questions to Shahbaz Sharif, he hoped the former Punjab chief minister would answer those questions: Whether Nisar Gill and Ali Ahmed were not working as directors for Political Affairs and Strategy and Policy, respectively in the Chief Minister’s office during his tenure as Chief Minister Punjab? Whether both aforementioned persons were not your front men and owners of Good Nature Company (GNC) which existed only on papers? Can you confirm that Nisar Gill had written his designation as Adviser on Political Affairs in his Bank Account Opening Form and the address he wrote in the form was Chief Minister Office.
Shahbaz Sharif can you confirm that same director Political Affairs Nisar Gill had accompanied your son Salman Shahbaz in the visits of London, Dubai and Qatar?
Was it not a fact that your cash boys Masroor Anwar and Shoaib Qamar had transferred million of rupee into your account after withdrawing the same from the account of GNC?
Would you like to confirm Shahbaz Sharif that you bought two villas at Whispering Pines for your wife Tehmina Durrani by utilising the same amount? Shahbaz Sharif! would you like to confirm that the aforementioned cash boys had not transferred billion of rupees into the accounts of your two sons Hamza and Saman’s account after withdrawing from the accounts of GNC? Would you like to tell Shahbaz Sharif that Nisar Gill had not transferred huge amount from his account to you and your sons’ accounts ? Was it not a fact that you; Shahbaz Sharif and your family, had utilised billion of rupees of GNC accounts to meet your and family’s expenses in the country and abroad? Was it not a fact that GNC had deposited million of rupees indirectly in the account of your peon Malik Maqsood? Was it not a fact that by appointing the owners of GNC in Chief Minister’s office you were directly involved in laundering the black money?
Virtually you were patronising this business from your office? Was it not a fact that you had received kick backs and commission at your residence 96 H Model Town and was it a fact that your Green Bullet Proof Land Cruiser and Elite Force Punjab were used in transferring the black money at your another office 55-K, Model Town residence? Shahbaz Sharif Sahib! was it not a fact that you and your family were not involved in transferring money through TTS with the help of different money changers? Had you not constructed 96-H, Model Town Lahore from the money laundered through these TTs? Would you confirm four money exchange companies including Al Zaroni Exchange Company, Rames Tax Exchange transferred huge amount in the account of Begum Nusrat Shahbaz and Salman Shahbaz through TTs, the same companies also laundered money for Asif Ali Zardari and Omni group? Had your son-in-law Ali Imran not devoured money donated by Department for International Development (DFID) through Naveed Ikram? Would you like to tell, Mr Shahbaz, that when will you sue Daily Mail journalist David Rose?
