Abettor in laundering $250m can’t be sadiq: Musadik Malik

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik Saturday said PTI Chairman Imran Khan was an abettor in a $250 million money-laundering case and the guarantor of Arif Naqvi, the chief executive of the Abraaj Capital and Investment Company, indicted by the US courts in a range of cases and could get up to 290-year jail.

“How a person, who is the abettor and protector of the $250 million money-laundering case and the guarantor of an accused [Arif Naqvi] whom the US courts hint at awarding 290 years jail, can be Sadiq and Ameen (truthful and upright),” the minister questioned while addressing a news conference in response to a presser of PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain.

He said $250 million money-laundering stood at almost one-fourth of the Pakistan-IMF’s current $1.1 billion package, and how an “abettor and a protector of the illegal activity could be declared Sadiq and Ameen”.

He said Arif Naqvi was the person who, being the chief executive of a foreign company, established a cricket club abroad and sent foreign funds to the PTI, which as per the laws of Pakistan was illegal.

As per law of the land, he said, no political party could get funds from other than Pakistani citizens and if anyone received finances from any foreign national or company, it would be “black and illegal money”.

“Two million pounds were sent from Abraaj’s company account to Imran Khan in one go, which was illegal as no political party can get funds from any foreign country, company, corporation or foreign national. But he [Imran Khan) is still Sadiq aur Ameen,” he said.

He said a book ‘The Key Man’, authored by Simon Clark, who also reported Arif Naqvi’s money-laundering in the daily Financial Times, carried all details about Imran Khan, Abraaj Capital and Investment and the Cricket Club.

He said Simon Clark revealed in the book that the same person (Arif Naqvi) allocated $20 million to ‘buy’ the PMLN during 2013-18, but found no one in the party to protect his ‘some interests’ in Pakistan. But unfortunately, the minister said, in 2018 Arif Naqvi bought “Imran Khan for just $2 million”.

Separately, PMLN leader Mohammad Zubair Saturday asked PTI Chairman Imran Khan to “prove” he was Sadiq and Ameen.

Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, Zubair said that the coalition parties will continue to question the PTI regarding the prohibited funding case against it.

Imran Khan should now file a defamation case against the international publication in the courts of London, he dared the PTI chief.