FIA asked banks to defreeze journalist’s accounts, SHC told

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had asked the banks to defreeze the accounts of journalist Mohsin Baig, the federal law officer told the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday.

The court was hearing the petition of journalist against the FIA inquiry pertaining to money laundering and bribing the FIA’s officials. Petitioner Mohsin Baig said he was being politically victimised on the behest of former federal minister for communications over his reported remarks in the media.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the FIA, acting in mala fide, booked the petitioner for money laundering and bribing the FIA’s officials without issuing any notice to the petitioner. He submitted that the petitioner was neither a public servant nor he had any connection with the money laundering case against Abdul Wasay and others. He added that the petitioner was implicated in the case for exposing the illegalities of the FIA officials. The counsel submitted that the bank accounts of the petitioner had been frozen during the investigation, so he was not able to run his business.

The federal law officer filed a statement on behalf of deputy director FIA anti-corruption circle, in which the investigation officer had conveyed to the private banks to defreeze 22 bank accounts of the petitioner. The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro, after taking the statement of federal law officer on record, adjourned the hearing for further arguments till May 13.