Hajj scam: Premier’s son warned to show up or face arrest

FIA summons Qadir Gilani for questioning in connection with alleged embezzlement in Hajj arrangements.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has formally summoned MPA Abdul Qadir Gilani, son of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, in connection with the alleged embezzlement in last year’s Hajj arrangements and threatened with possible arrest. The FIA will seek a perpetual arrest warrant for Qadir if he fails to appear for questioning a second time. The warning by the legal directorate has been attached to the notice summoning him for interrogation.

Qadir Gilani has been accused of receiving the “lion’s share” in the multi-million-rupee Hajj scam that has cost two federal ministers their jobs. Former minister for religious affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi is on interim bail.

“Yes, we have issued a notice to Qadir Gilani asking him to appear before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted for the Hajj scam,” Director-General FIA Wasim Ahmad confirmed to The Express Tribune.

The FIA summoned Qadir to record his statement before the JIT in light of the Supreme Court’s directive last week. He was to appear before the JIT on Monday, but he did not show up. The notice is accompanied by a questionnaire consisting  of close to a dozen queries. Some of the leading questions are reproduced below. They present a snapshot of the charges against Qadir and may be answered with a yes or no.

“Did you (Qadir) receive a ‘lion’s share’ of the money embezzled during arrangements made for the annual pilgrimage? Did you import a black Toyota Prado Land Cruiser and pay Rs8.5 million as import duty with this money? Did former DG Hajj Rao Shakil Ahmad give you this money for the import of this bulletproof vehicle? Was the money transferred to you from Saudi Arabia through Zain Sukhera’s accounts? Did you pressurise Hamid Saeed Kazmi to get special quota for pilgrims last year?”

The JIT’s chief investigator Hussain Asghar is said to have confirmed that Qadir received over Rs20 million from former DG Hajj and imported a costly vehicle from the United Arab Emirates last year.

Sources said that Qadir refused to appear before the FIA team on Monday. However, PPP senior minister Punjab Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, when contacted, did not comment.

Information Technology (IT) consultant Zain Sukhera, a close friend of Qadir Gilani, resigned on Monday. Sources told The Express Tribune that Sukhera obtained a fake LLM degree on the basis of which he had been awarded the post. He has been pinpointed as Qadir’s facilitator in the hajj scam.

DG FIA Wasim Ahmad has appointed his staff officer Us­man Zakaria as the new Direc­tor Interpol. Hussain As­ghar, who was heading the Interpol wing, has been appointed as head of the Administration Wing in
FIA. He will continue to head the JIT.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th, 2011.