Babar’s documents based on ‘assumptions’

PTI’s financial expert tells ECP that papers submitted by petitioner were photocopies

ISLAMABAD:

The financial expert representing the PTI in the foreign funding case on Tuesday told the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the documents presented by the petitioner, Akbar S Babar, an estranged but founding member of the party, were based on “assumptions”.

Citing the scrutiny committee’s report, Najam Shah argued that the documents submitted by the petitioner were photocopies instead of the original ones.

A three-member bench of the ECP, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, was hearing the case.

The PTI financial expert further told the bench that the party had submitted all bank records of the party to the commission.

He added that funding from abroad was transferred to audited bank accounts of the party.

Shah maintained that all of PTI’s bank accounts were declared and the party had already given their details.

He added that the scrutiny committee had missed out on the funding that came from the UK.

“The PTI has even declared those accounts that the committee had been unable to discover.”

The lawyer for the petitioner sought copies of the documents submitted to the ECP on Tuesday.

However, Anwar Mansoor, the lawyer representing the PTI, opposed this move citing that the documents were given a “twisted meaning when they were shown outside”.

“Facts are presented in a distorted manner [to the media] that dents the party’s political standing,” he added.

Read PTI moves IHC against ECP’s ‘bias’ in foreign funding case

The CEC noted that no new documents had been presented and those submitted earlier were collected in a single file.

On these grounds, the bench rejected the lawyer for the petitioner’s plea for the submission of copies of the documents.

The PTI’s financial expert further told the bench that a sum of Rs1.1 million was transferred to accounts that were un-audited.

The CEC asked him that why these objections were not raised before the scrutiny committee.

Mansoor, the PTI’s lawyer, replied that all reservations were raised but were overlooked.

He added that the committee had worked hard but the results were flawed.

The lawyer for the petitioner informed the bench that Mansoor himself had not appeared before the committee.

The CEC replied that the presence of Mansoor before the committee was unnecessary given that all the teams of all the respondents had already appeared before it.

The commission adjourned the hearing till Wednesday (today).

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Babar told reporters that millions were transferred to the accounts of PTI employees.

He added that he had written a letter to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah for a thorough probe into the matter.

“In a few days, the illegal acts [allegedly committed by the PTI] will come to the fore,” he added.

“The PTI has admitted that its accounts exist but hasn’t submitted any details about them to the ECP.”

Babar had filed the case on November 14, 2014, after he developed differences with the PTI chief over internal corruption and abuse of laws governing political funding.

The petitioner alleged that nearly $3 million in illegal foreign funds were collected through two offshore companies, registered under the prime minister’s signature, and that the money was sent through illegal ‘hundi’ channels from the Middle East to accounts of PTI employees.

He also alleged that the foreign accounts used to collect funds were concealed from the annual audit reports submitted to the ECP.

A special committee was formed in March 2018 to investigate the matter. Two officers from the director-general law wing and auditor general office of ECP were included in the committee.