Money laundering: Justice Sajjad Ali Shah to investigate FIA DG’s charges

CJ takes notice of Waseem Ahmed's allegation that the accused in the Khanani and Kalia case had bought their release.

KARACHI: Justice Sajjad Ali Shah has been appointed inquiry officer to look into allegations made with reference to the Khanani and Kalia money laundering case.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry took notice of FIA Director-General Waseem Ahmed’s allegation that the accused in the case had bought their release and referred the matter to Sindh High Court Chief Justice Musheer Alam.

The case files, which run into many volumes, have already been received at the SHC and placed before the inquiry officer, SHC sources said. Four directors of the Khanani and Kalia Money Exchange company, and four bankers were cleared of making illegal money transfers by the Special Court for Offences in Banking Circle last Saturday for lack of evidence. They were accused of illegally transferring billions of dollars in foreign exchange abroad through the hundi and hawala methods.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2011.