Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Corporate Banking Circle on Tuesday lodged a case against 11 people including the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the foreign funding case.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused nominated in the FIR has violated the Foreign Exchange Act.
Sardar Azhar Tariq, Saifullah Niazi, Syed Younas, Amir Kiyani, Tariq Sheikh, and Tariq Shafi have been nominated in the FIR.
The FIR stated that the accused are beneficiaries of the private bank account, while the PTI had an account at the local bank and the private bank manager has also been nominated in the case.
According to the text of the FIR, a bank account was created in the name of Naya Pakistan, the bank manager allowed to operate the illegal bank account and the $2.1 million were deposited by the Abraaj Group of Companies in the bank account.
It further stated that the PTI submitted Arif Naqvi s affidavit to the ECP, while the Abraaj Group also deposited money in PTI account, hence, the affidavit is false.
In August this year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) while announcing verdict in prohibited funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals. It went on to say that the party had taken ownership of eight accounts and kept 16 hidden.
Unknown accounts have also come to light, said the commission in its verdict, adding that hiding accounts is a “violation” of Article 17 of the Constitution.
The The electoral watchdog also decided to issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received.
The commission also said that PTI chief Imran Khan had submitted a “misdeclaration” with the commission.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had reserved its verdict in prohibited funding case — previously referred to as the foreign funding case — after the conclusion of arguments from both sides of the case on June 21.
The case was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar and was pending since November 14, 2014. Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad.
In March 2018, a scrutiny committee was constituted to examine the PTI financing. The committee submitted its report on January 4, after 95 hearings and nearly four years.