Anwar Majeed, son to remanded to jail custody

Suspect's lawyer requests court to send his clients to hospital instead of jail

KARACHI: The head of the Omni Group of Companies and a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, Anwar Majeed, and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed, were sent to jail on judicial remand by the banking court on Tuesday after their physical remand ended a day earlier.

During the hearing, the court questioned the FIA prosecutor regarding the absence of the investigation officer. The prosecutor replied that the IO was busy in Islamabad, which is why a second investigation officer was present in court.



The FIA's legal team had submitted an application to send the suspects to jail, while Majeed and his son's lawyer had requested that the suspect be moved to the hospital instead of being sent to jail. On the latter's request, the court remarked that if the suspects were unwell, they could receive treatment in jail as well. Meanwhile, the prosecutor maintained that the suspects' medical treatment wasn't their concern and that the jail authorities would have to decide the matter.

The defendants' lawyer pointed out that Abdul Ghani was already suffering from internal bleeding. To this, the court directed the suspects' lawyer to submit a separate request for their transfer to the hospital

In keeping with the suggestion, the suspects' lawyer filed an application to the court for medical aid, stating that his clients were unwell and should be provided immediate medical care. The court ordered jail officials to provide medical care to both the suspects and sent them to jail on judicial remand till September 4.

Speaking to media personnel after the hearing, Anwar Majeed admitted to meeting Asif Ali Zardari in the hospital last week. He said that he had a one-minute meeting with Zardari, in which they both gave assurance to each other. Majeed added that only one of his sugar mills was raided while all the weapons seized from the premises were licensed. He also denied admitting to money laundering charges.



The case

The FIA had taken Majeed into custody on August 15 from outside the Supreme Court where he and his family members appeared before the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, which was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to alleged money laundering of Rs35 billion through fake accounts. Subsequently, the names of his four family members besides his own were placed on the Exit Control List on the apex court's order. Abdul Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani Majeed, are being investigated for their involvement in the Rs35 billion money laundering scam.

PPP co-chairperson Zardari, sister Faryal Talpur, former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai and Summit Bank Senior Vice-President Taha Raza are among those being investigated for allegedly facilitating 29 'fake' accounts in Summit Bank, Sindh Bank and United Bank Limited.

According to the FIR registered against Lawai and others, billions of rupees were deposited into the fake accounts and subsequently transferred to beneficiaries, including the company owned by Zardari and his sister, the Zardari Group. The Zardari Group received Rs15 million of the laundered money, according to the FIR.