PTI’s expert concludes arguments in funding case

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s financial expert concluded his arguments before the three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan Wednesday.

During the proceedings, he tried to explain before the bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, the perusal report submitted by petitioner Akbar S. Babar, which was based on PTI documents, in July 2021. He also admitted the PTI had another account in Bank Alfalah that was operational in 2011-13 and revealed to the ECP in 2014.

He claimed that the signatories of nine bank accounts that remained concealed had no significance and that the NICOP details of the directors of two PTI USA LLCs had been revealed. But he did not reveal the dates of the NICOP, as all directors were mentioned as US citizens in the registration document of the two PTI NA LLCs with the Department of Justice, USA.

The PTI expert acknowledged the fact that bank statements of PTI international accounts were not shared, as those were not needed despite the fact that the Scrutiny Committee, in its Order Sheet dated April 25, 2018, and several subsequent orders had demanded that the PTI submit all its international accounts, including the six it had acknowledged before the Scrutiny Committee.

However, PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan moved in to interject that the PTI maintained no international bank accounts, a statement belied by the facts, as it had conducted a number of fundraising events in the US, Britain, and Europe advertising its international bank accounts for collecting donations.

As directed by the Chief Election Commissioner to conclude his arguments, the PTI expert concluded his arguments to which PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan requested two more days to summarise his legal arguments one more time. The case was adjourned till June 14.