Former director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Waseem Ahmad concealed reports by Britain’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) regarding Moonis Elahi’s bank account in the UK from the investigation team, Additional DG FIA Zafar Qureshi informed the Supreme Court.
The agency apprised the court that on the basis of incriminating documentary evidence, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid leader Moonis Elahi has been found guilty in the NICL scam. The investigation report submitted by Qureshi before a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry stated that Elahi failed to disprove the allegations against him during the interrogation and could not rebut the evidence recorded by the FIA. “The accused apologetically disclosed that he has just started his political career. If he were to return the Rs320 million, his political future would be ruined. To save his political career, Warraich would return the amount through the same channel.”
Qureshi informed the court that Rs1.6863 billion has been recovered so far in the NICL scam and Rs42 million is still outstanding. He said that the accused purchased a 20-kanal, two-marla commercial plot for NICL at Lahore Airport Road for Rs1.06 billion in 2009 from Mohsin Warraich, whereas its market price was only Rs150 million. It resulted in the loss of Rs915.3 million to the national exchequer. He said that 10 people who played a central role in the scam were identified out of which seven were arrested while Mohsin Habib Warraich, Javed Syed and Amin Qasim Dada are proclaimed offenders. Their properties have been seized.
Qureshi disclosed that Rs120 million out of the Rs320 million commission received by Elahi has been traced to his account. Elahi deposited Rs91.2 million in the account of his wife, Tehreem Elahi at ABL Liberty Market Branch by 14 foreign Telegraphic Transfers (FITs) originating from Dubai through an informal channel. The FIA report stated that Elahi could not produce any documentary or oral evidence in his defence. He attempted to politicise the criminal investigation through the print and electronic media. He tried to mislead the investigation and concealed the facts by giving false statements and denied his close relations with Mohsin Warraich. It is on record that they travelled abroad 19 times. FIA director Punjab Inam Ghani wrote a letter to the home secretary for declaring a rest house as a sub-jail for Elahi on false grounds.
Earlier, the Supreme Court had admitted three different applications by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Moonis Elahi to separate FIA additional director general Zafar Qureshi from the NICL scam investigation and to initiate an inquiry against him for harassing the Chaudhrys of Gujrat. Joint secretary at the commerce ministry Jamil Akhtar presented NICL’s audit report. NICL’s acting chairman assured the court he would cooperate in the ongoing investigation. The case has been adjourned for three weeks.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2011.
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