ISLAMABAD: According to an investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a sizable sum of more than Rs787 million was deposited into and then withdrew from a purportedly managed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) a now-defunct bank account.
The information was made public around three weeks that after Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) determined that the PTI had gotten cash from unapproved sources, a claim the PTI continues to make.
The FIA is currently seized with the prohibited funding case against the former ruling party.Four people were authorised by the PTI to run the account, according to a document that the FIA received from the closed bank and saw.
Fariduddin Ahmed, who gained notoriety following the publication of the Pandora Papers by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists in October of last year revealing the offshore holdings and possible tax fraud by powerful people, is among the names on the list.
According to the filings, Mr. Ahmed was the registered owner of two offshore firms, Hawk Field Limited and Lock Gate Investment. His address in Pakistan was listed as 2-Zaman Park, Lahore, which is the home of PTI chairman Imran Khan, according to the documents.
At the time, Mr. Ahmed was not associated with Mr. Khan, according to Mr. Khan’s special assistant Shahbaz Gill, who also claimed that the PTI leader had never met Mr. Ahmed.Later, Mr. Ahmed had also refuted any connection between Mr. Khan and his offshore businesses while asserting that they both were from Burki ancestry.
Omer Farooq, aka Goldie, the proprietor of Shapes Gym and a personal friend of Mr. Khan, is another authorised account holder. Rai Azizullah and Hamid Zaman are the other two.
According to a notification published on December 26, 2012, a few days before the account was opened, the central finance board of the PTI had decided to permit these four people to manage the account. Sardar Azhar Tariq, the party’s central finance secretary at the time, signed the announcement.
