Imran files reply to ECP’s contempt notices

Fails to produce banking transactions of Bani Gala property before SC for a third time

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan on Monday filed a written reply, refusing to have committed any ‘contempt’ after the Election Commission of Pakistan warned that contempt proceedings would be initiated against him.

The ECP had summoned Khan several times on an application filed by a former PTI vice president Akbar S Babar, in which the applicant insisted that the party had mishandled funds and a contempt notice be issued to Khan.

Khan had ignored the notices issued by the ECP claiming that the election watchdog had no jurisdiction regarding the party’s affairs.

A four-member ECP bench headed by Justice (retd) Muhammad Raza Khan heard the contempt application filed by Babar against Khan.



After a final warning, Khan’s lawyer Fawad Chaudhry filed a response to the contempt application, stating that the Review (Contemptuous) Application dated January 9, 2017 stands withdrawn according to the unconditional apology drafted and filed by his lawyer which he has not contested.

The review application was filed after the ECP had ordered the PTI on December 1, 2016 to submit its financial accounts for scrutiny.

In his response, Khan stated that his public statement disowning his lawyer’s unconditional apology was made in haste as he had not been briefed about the said proceedings by the counsel.

The ECP has set Wednesday, May 31 as the next date to review Khan’s response to the contempt application and proceed accordingly.



The ECP is also set to hear the foreign funding case on Tuesday (today) after it had given a last chance to the PTI to produce financial documents which it had refused to produce for over two years.

The order was passed after the ECP, on May 8, rejected PTI’s stance that it had no jurisdiction to review the PTI accounts.

Bani Gala property

In a third concise statement about his Bani Gala property’s money trail, Khan again failed to produce banking transactions taken place between his ex-wife Jemima Khan’s foreign bank account and his agent Rashid Ali Khan.

Likewise, he also failed to produce the record of the money – utilised to purchase the Bani Gala land – he returned to Jemima after sale of his London flat.

“Jemima has been requested to send her authorisation to the banks and it will be submitted as soon as it is received,” Khan said in his 24-page supplementary concise statement.



The PTI supremo claimed “there can be no believable assertion of laundering money”, adding, “admittedly no amount is even alleged to have been sent out of Pakistan, which was sent back to Pakistan in order to whiten any black money.”

On Monday afternoon, Jemima, in her tweet, endorsed the money trail submitted by Khan and quoting Khan’s tweet said, ‘truth [it’s true]’.

Submitting financial returns of the Niazi Services Limited, Khan claimed that since the London flat owned by the said offshore firm was sold in 2003, the returns of previous years will not possibly be retrievable as accountants do not keep records beyond a certain period of time.



However, he said documents dated April 30, 2001 and April 30, 2002 of Barclays Private Banking have been located which establishes the flat and its value, as the only asset under the Niazi Services Limited.

The transactions, between Jemima and Rashid, and revenue record submitted by Khan states that a total of 300 kanals of land was purchased in Bani Gala by Jemima between the period from April 10, 2002 to March 11, 2003 in a phased manner and for the purpose five different deeds were signed between the seller and the buyer.

Khan maintained that “nothing was mutated in the name of Jemima after the divorce in June 2004”.



To purchase the property, Jemima sent remittances amounting to Rs408 million from her foreign account to Rashid through seven different transactions from April 11, 2002 to January 23, 2003. While, the reply states that another three transactions that occurred between April 12, 2003 and May 29, 2003 amounting to $230,029 remitted by Jemima and ‘another source’ in the account of Rashid have nothing to do with the purchase of property in Bani Gala or Khan.

The total amount paid to the seller of Bani Gala land, including taxes and other expenses, was Rs438 million. This includes Rs3.35 million paid by Khan.



Later, in October 2005, Jemima gifted the whole 300 kanals land ‘orally’ to Khan and a mutation, change of title ownership from one person to another, to this effect was approved on October 29, 2005.

About the offshore firm, Niazi Services Limited, Khan said it was incorporated on May 10, 1983. Khan said he was never a director or holder of shares in the Niazi Services Limited except to be the beneficial owner and that other than the London flat there was never any other asset under the offshore company. The flat was sold in 2003.

Khan said as he was pursuing his career in the game of cricket, the entire process of setting up the Niazi Services limited was managed by the accountant, solicitor and Khan’s sister Aleema Khan.



While, submitting the money trail, Khan prayed to the court that the petition against him may graciously be dismissed.

The money trail has been submitted to a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court which has currently been hearing a petition filed by Hanif Abbasi, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, seeking disqualification of the PTI chief for ‘illegal possession’ of properties and ‘tax theft’.

(ADDITIONAL INPUT BY DANISH HUSSAIN)