Foreign funding case: ECP to resume hearing over show-cause notice to PTI

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday (today) will resume the hearing on the show-cause notice issued to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after its August 02, 2022 order in the foreign funding case.

Since the issuance of notice, the PTI has repeatedly sought more time to file its reply. In the last hearing, September 19 was set as the last date for filing the PTI’s response and for concluding the hearing of arguments in this regard.

Once the proceedings of the notice conclude, the Election Commission will decide on the confiscation of foreign/prohibited funds and/or taking action against PTI Chairman Imran Khan for filing false certificates that may include his disqualification.

The notice was issued soon after the ECP’s August 2 verdict in the foreign funding case as the Political Parties Order 2002 required that before taking punitive action against any party found receiving illegal funds, a show-cause notice has to be issued to the party.

The foreign funding case was filed on November 14, 2014 by the PTI’s founding member Akbar S. Babar, and after almost eight years of litigation, the ECP finally passed an order on August 2 that documented millions of dollars of foreign and prohibited funding from offshore companies and foreigners, and concealment of accounts by the PTI’s leadership, including its Chairman Imran Khan.

While the show-cause notice is being heard and expected to conclude during this month, the FIA’s inquiry into the PTI’s accounts in the light of the ECP’s findings continues. Notices under Section 160 of CrPC and other relevant laws were issued to a number of PTI leaders accused of operating fake/benami accounts identified by PTI Chairman Imran Khan in his written submission before the ECP on March 14, 2022.

Investigations, according to sources, have revealed that PTI Chairman Imran Khan withdrew two amounts in cash totalling Rs8 million during March 2013 from a PTI’s Habib Bank account in Islamabad. Evidence has also revealed that Qasim Khan Suri, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly, withdrew cash amounting to Rs2.1 million in six transactions from the PTI’s undeclared account in the Bank of Punjab Jinnah Avenue branch, Quetta.

Nine other PTI leaders, who withdrew huge amounts from the PTI’s accounts, are being investigated. Their names have been kept secret to-date. Similarly, on July 23, 2013, Rs1.5 million were transferred to Asad Umar’s account in Bank Al-Habib Zamzama branch, Karachi.

As the misuse of these funds is being probed, the FIA has identified a website www.namanzoor.com for the collection of funds.

On September 13, after obtaining search warrants, the FIA’s team seized digital equipment from Saifullah Khan Niazi, including cellphones, laptops and USBs for forensic analysis.

In a related important development, the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) requests have been sent to obtain record/information of the PTI’s foreign donors and the PTI-owned companies registered in the US, Britain, Canada, Australia and elsewhere.

Besides the $2.12 million foreign funding from an offshore company ‘Wootton Cricket Limited’ and documented in the PTI’s accounts revealed through the State Bank of Pakistan by the ECP, the FIA investigations have revealed another major foreign funding to the tune of $1.2 million from the same company. This includes $625,000 routed through the ‘Insaf Trust’ registered and operated by PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s close friend and another amount of $575,000 routed through his personal account in Karachi to the PTI.

The money was used to fund the PTI’s 2013 election media campaign and other election expenses. The FIA has traced three accounts opened by Tariq Shafi in the name of ‘The Insaf Trust’. Thus, so far a total of US $3.2 million of foreign funding was received by the PTI through ‘Wootton Cricket Limited’ alone besides companies in the US, Canada, Australia, Finland and Norway.

During the course of investigations, the sources revealed that the FIA has identified more accounts utilised by the PTI that remain concealed from the Election Commission of Pakistan. One such account is titled ‘PTI Media Centre’ with a total transaction of Rs96,176,139 to-date.