Daily Times

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday kickstarted its countrywide investigation into the utilisation of funds from ‘prohibited’ sources by PTI, a private TV channel reported.

A total of six inquiries were opened simultaneously in major cities of Pakistan, including federal capital Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. The investigation agency summoned former National Assembly speaker and senior PTI leader Asad Qaiser and Punjab Minister Mian Mahmood-ur-Rashid.

The FIA Sindh issued notices to former Sindh Governor and Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Sindh ex-Member Provincial Assembly (MPA), directing both of them to appear before a committee formed to probe foreign funding against PTI. The committee has issued notices to former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Sindh Assembly’s ex-MPA Seema Zia. Imran Ismail has been directed to appear on August 15 while Seema Zia has been summoned on August 12. The committee has also contacted the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and two private banks for details of suspicious bank transactions.

A day earlier, the FIA had called four employees of the PTI secretariat to investigate the money laundering and embezzlement in these funds, and statements of these employees were recorded. According to FIA authorities, 13 accounts have been identified in which these funds were transferred, and the agency has issued notices to the banks under which these accounts have been operating. Courts have also directed these banks to submit complete details of these bank accounts to the FIA in order to help the inquiry teams with the investigation.

The FIA launched the investigation on a letter written by Babar, requesting a probe against the PTI for receiving funds through accounts opened in the name of junior employees. Akbar S Babar formally approached the FIA to initiate a probe against the PTI on Wednesday. Babar told the FIA that the PTI’s financial board in 2011 illegally authorised four employees of the party’s central secretariat to collect donations in their personal accounts from within Pakistan and abroad.

A sum of Rs11.104 million was deposited in the accounts of the PTI employees which was beyond their known sources of income, Babar said in his letter. He wrote that the funds were received through the accounts of employees Tahir Iqbal, Muhammad Nauman Afzal, Muhammad Arshad, and Muhammad Rafiq.

Acting on this letter and the ECP ruling on this case, the FIA is probing the utilisation of funds from 13 undeclared accounts and has issued notices to the account holders.

PTI leaders Asad Qaiser and Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed have also been summoned separately by the FIA on August 11 to record their statements in the same case.