Govt unearths fresh ‘corruption’ of the Sharifs
PML-N rejects govt’s report ‘based on lies and false claims’
SAPM Barrister Shahzad Akbar addresses a news conference in Islamabad. PHOTO: APP
ISLAMABAD:
The government’s point-man for accountability claimed on Thursday that contractor of the New Islamabad International Airport, Mian Munir, had transferred kickbacks worth Rs560 million into the accounts of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, owned by Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
“The Technical Associates – one among the three contractors of the Islamabad airport -- was owned by Mian Munir. It had also transferred Rs50 million in the account of the then adviser to the prime minister for aviation Shujaat Azeem in June 2015,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar told a presser.
He alleged that the political elite had minted money by placing favourites in the institutions.
Around 45 per cent shares of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills were owned by Maryam, he said, adding that Mian Munir is the father-in-law of the daughter of Maryam.
He said that in May 2017 the Technical Associates had transferred Rs310 million in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills via various accounts. And in December 2017, another Rs250 million was transferred into the same account.
He said the Chaudhry Sugar Mills having over Rs5.6 billion assets was established by Nawaz Sharif in 1991. “Interestingly, the declared assets of Nawaz were only Rs1.3 million, which clearly indicates that Nawaz had no assets to establish a sugar mill.”
Akbar also referred to a number of other transactions which he said were connected in one way or another to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills.
“Former finance minister Ishaq Dar had deposited $15.37 million [of Nawaz Sharif], after opening six fake accounts in the then Bank of America by using the passports of a Qazi family,” he claimed.
In 1994, the same accounts were shifted to Faisal Bank, he added. “A loan worth Rs80 million was obtained from Faisal Bank for the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, a loan worth Rs35 million was obtained for Ishaq Dar from the same bank and Rs70 million worth of loan was obtained for Hamza Board Mills Limited.”
Ishaq Dar had confessed in 2000 that the Qazi family had no links with the accounts opened in their names. He said Khawaja Zubair Ahmed of Pak-Punjab Carpets obtained Rs65 million loan from the National Bank of Pakistan and the Mehran Bank and transferred it into the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills.
As a reward, Rs105 million worth of loan of Pak-Punjab was written off by the State Bank of Pakistan in 1998.
“$15.37 million from the Qazi family’s fake accounts were sent to Dubai. Saeed Ahmed, former president of NBP had also stashed $3.75 million to Dubai. A fake TT of $19 million in the name of Siddiqua Syed had also been transferred in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 1998.”
Likewise in 2001, the PM’s aide alleged that $1.25 million fake TT in the name of a Saudi national Hani Ahmed was transferred to accounts of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills. Yet another “fake $1.25 million fake TT using the name of Nasir Abdullah Lootha was transferred into the account of Ramzan Sugar Mills in 2001”. The same amount was transferred in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 2008.
Another “fake TT of Rs33 million” using the name of Makhdoom Umer Shehryar (Lahore) was also transmitted into the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 2011. The amount was transferred to Umer from Dubai by fake TT.
He said the investigators have detected that three fake loans were transferred into the accounts of Director Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 2010.
“In 2010, Hassan Nawaz transferred $1 million loan amount in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills as a director, the factual position is that Hassan had already tendered resignation from the mill in 1995, thus he did not qualify to obtain the loan.”
Yousaf Abbas Sharif transferred Rs1 billion into the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills from 2010 to 2018 as loan. Abdul Aziz Abbas Sharif had also transferred Rs30 million in Chaudhry Sugar Mills account as loan in 2013.
He said Yousaf Abbas and Abdul Aziz Abbas Sharif did not have enough resource to transfer such huge amounts into the accounts of Chaudhry Sugar Mills as loan. Later the investigations revealed that the amount was transferred into the accounts of both above-mentioned persons from Dubai through fake TTs.
PML-N rejects govt’s report ‘based on lies’
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has said the PM’s aide report is based on lies and baseless allegations were put up against the party in the press conference.
“How Shahzad Akbar gets information about people’s arrest even before they are arrested. There is a nexus between the National Accountability Bureau and Prime Minister Imran Khan. There are 40 thieves in the cabinet,” said PML-N leader Attaullah Tarrar while talking to reporters outside Parliament House. He was accompanied by party leader Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha.
He said that Akbar’s presser is as usual based on baseless allegations. “No reference has been filed in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills. If there are any pieces of evidence why haven’t they filed anyone,” said Tarrar.
(With additional input from our correspondent)
The government’s point-man for accountability claimed on Thursday that contractor of the New Islamabad International Airport, Mian Munir, had transferred kickbacks worth Rs560 million into the accounts of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, owned by Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
“The Technical Associates – one among the three contractors of the Islamabad airport -- was owned by Mian Munir. It had also transferred Rs50 million in the account of the then adviser to the prime minister for aviation Shujaat Azeem in June 2015,” Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar told a presser.
He alleged that the political elite had minted money by placing favourites in the institutions.
Around 45 per cent shares of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills were owned by Maryam, he said, adding that Mian Munir is the father-in-law of the daughter of Maryam.
He said that in May 2017 the Technical Associates had transferred Rs310 million in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills via various accounts. And in December 2017, another Rs250 million was transferred into the same account.
He said the Chaudhry Sugar Mills having over Rs5.6 billion assets was established by Nawaz Sharif in 1991. “Interestingly, the declared assets of Nawaz were only Rs1.3 million, which clearly indicates that Nawaz had no assets to establish a sugar mill.”
Akbar also referred to a number of other transactions which he said were connected in one way or another to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills.
“Former finance minister Ishaq Dar had deposited $15.37 million [of Nawaz Sharif], after opening six fake accounts in the then Bank of America by using the passports of a Qazi family,” he claimed.
In 1994, the same accounts were shifted to Faisal Bank, he added. “A loan worth Rs80 million was obtained from Faisal Bank for the Chaudhry Sugar Mills, a loan worth Rs35 million was obtained for Ishaq Dar from the same bank and Rs70 million worth of loan was obtained for Hamza Board Mills Limited.”
Ishaq Dar had confessed in 2000 that the Qazi family had no links with the accounts opened in their names. He said Khawaja Zubair Ahmed of Pak-Punjab Carpets obtained Rs65 million loan from the National Bank of Pakistan and the Mehran Bank and transferred it into the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills.
As a reward, Rs105 million worth of loan of Pak-Punjab was written off by the State Bank of Pakistan in 1998.
“$15.37 million from the Qazi family’s fake accounts were sent to Dubai. Saeed Ahmed, former president of NBP had also stashed $3.75 million to Dubai. A fake TT of $19 million in the name of Siddiqua Syed had also been transferred in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 1998.”
Likewise in 2001, the PM’s aide alleged that $1.25 million fake TT in the name of a Saudi national Hani Ahmed was transferred to accounts of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills. Yet another “fake $1.25 million fake TT using the name of Nasir Abdullah Lootha was transferred into the account of Ramzan Sugar Mills in 2001”. The same amount was transferred in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 2008.
Another “fake TT of Rs33 million” using the name of Makhdoom Umer Shehryar (Lahore) was also transmitted into the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 2011. The amount was transferred to Umer from Dubai by fake TT.
He said the investigators have detected that three fake loans were transferred into the accounts of Director Chaudhry Sugar Mills in 2010.
“In 2010, Hassan Nawaz transferred $1 million loan amount in the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills as a director, the factual position is that Hassan had already tendered resignation from the mill in 1995, thus he did not qualify to obtain the loan.”
Yousaf Abbas Sharif transferred Rs1 billion into the account of Chaudhry Sugar Mills from 2010 to 2018 as loan. Abdul Aziz Abbas Sharif had also transferred Rs30 million in Chaudhry Sugar Mills account as loan in 2013.
He said Yousaf Abbas and Abdul Aziz Abbas Sharif did not have enough resource to transfer such huge amounts into the accounts of Chaudhry Sugar Mills as loan. Later the investigations revealed that the amount was transferred into the accounts of both above-mentioned persons from Dubai through fake TTs.
PML-N rejects govt’s report ‘based on lies’
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has said the PM’s aide report is based on lies and baseless allegations were put up against the party in the press conference.
“How Shahzad Akbar gets information about people’s arrest even before they are arrested. There is a nexus between the National Accountability Bureau and Prime Minister Imran Khan. There are 40 thieves in the cabinet,” said PML-N leader Attaullah Tarrar while talking to reporters outside Parliament House. He was accompanied by party leader Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha.
He said that Akbar’s presser is as usual based on baseless allegations. “No reference has been filed in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills. If there are any pieces of evidence why haven’t they filed anyone,” said Tarrar.
(With additional input from our correspondent)