Confiscate ‘prohibited’ funding, says Babar’s lawyer

ISLAMABAD:

The chief election commissioner on Thursday conducted the hearing of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s foreign funding case in which the petitioner’s lawyer gave his arguments.

The hearing was held at the Election Commission’s office.

Starting his arguments, Akbar S Babar’s lawyer Ahmed Hassan said that money from the undisclosed accounts came into the disclosed accounts of PTI.

The CEC said transferring money from disclosed accounts can be of a significant consideration but money flowing in from undisclosed accounts to disclosed accounts is not a major thing.

Lawyer Hassan said that the scrutiny committee did not do its job well.

“If PTI could not give an account then all of the money should be confiscated,” the petitioner said, adding that according to the law, “no Pakistani can get funding from his foreign company”.

PTI lawyer Anwar Mansoor said that petitioner Akbar S Babar's case is pending in the high court, adding that the court granted the petition for hearing and fixed it for Friday (today).

ECP Balochistan member Shah Muhammad Jatoi replied that they were aware of the order of the high court.

Lawyer Hassan said that the PTI received funding from 349 foreign companies while the scrutiny committee has declared several people as “apparently” Pakistanis.

“It is difficult to understand what ‘apparently’ Pakistanis means … whether there is a Pakistani or not, it has not been clarified,” said the lawyer. “It is also not known who gave Rs250 million in cash to the PTI.”

According to the PTI, he said, it received $1.6 million in funds from within the country.

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The CEC replied that even at weddings nowadays, dollars are thrown in place of rupees.

Lawyer Hassan said, “If you know of any such marriage, definitely tell me, I also want to go there.”

He added that Arif Naqvi's Wooden Cricket Limited Company, which is a Dubai-based firm, gave $2.1 million to the PTI.

“The names of those who sent money from abroad were not disclosed,” he said, adding that there were no politics in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

He added that political money from Arab countries cannot come through banks but all the money came from banks and went into party accounts.

“What's the problem with sending people from Australia, Norway or any other country?” the CEC asked. “If the party collects money and sends it to Pakistan, what is wrong in it?”

Lawyer Hassan replied, “There should also be details of donors. A political party is obliged to disclose the sources of income.”

He said all of the money coming from companies is prohibited and should be confiscated.

PTI’s lawyer Mansoor said, “Fundraising cannot take place in the US without setting up an LLC.”

Lawyer Hassan said, “The PTI did not recognise an account that is run by (National Assembly Speaker) Asad Qaiser.”

He also claimed that an Indian woman named Rohta Shetty provided funding to the PTI from Singapore.

“Foreigners would not mind if they met Shaukat Khatam,” lawyer Hassan said.

“Imran Khan gave a certificate to the Election Commission that he did not take illicit funding.”

He argued that “prohibited” funding should be confiscation and the issuer of the certificate should be disqualified.

PTI lawyer Mansoor will begin his arguments on April 13.