Toshakhana case: ECP asks SBP for Imran’s bank accounts

Commission requests says it will give a ‘sound judgment' on the matter

ISLAMABAAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has sought details of PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan's bank accounts from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in connection with the Toshakhana reference.

ECP sources said the commission had written a letter to the SBP for Imran’s bank accounts.

They added that ECP would review the data received from the central bank.

The sources added that the ECP would make a ‘sound judgment' after examining the details of the PTI chief’s bank accounts.

The request by the electoral watchdog pertains to not disclosing gifts taken from the Toshakhana in Imran’s financial statements.

The case was brought before the ECP last year after the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) had accepted an application on the matter and had directed the Cabinet Division to provide information about the gifts received by then-prime minister Imran Khan from foreign dignitaries.

Last month, the former premier in his reply to the ECP claimed that the case was “misleading, baseless and false”

In his statement, Imran maintained that he had not hidden any assets and urged the ECP to drop the reference.

Read: PM forms committee to formulate, propose new Toshakhana policy

He also stated that Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution – which read that a member of parliament must be “sadiq and ameen” (honest and righteous) – was not applicable in the case against him.

The reply to the ECP read that during his three-and-a-half-year tenure, he received 329 gifts including watches, pens, decoration pieces, small carpets, table mats, perfumes, tasbih (prayer beads), and works of art. Of these, 58 gifts were received by Imran and his wife, and only 14 were worth more than Rs30,000.

“All gifts are mentioned in tax returns and details of assets and the amount of purchase of gifts is shown as an expense in the statements,” he added.

According to the reply, four units of the Toshakhana gifts were sold. He claimed that these gifts were bought through payment of more than Rs20 million.

“More than Rs5.8 million worth of gifts sold are shown in the assets,” he claimed, adding that he had not hidden anything.

“No member of the National Assembly has declared mobiles, watches, shoes and other such items as assets till date,” he alleged.

The reply further stated that gifts sold after June 30, 2019, were not disclosed in this year’s returns.

Also read: Toshakhana reference 'misleading, baseless', Imran tells ECP

He added that gifts received in the financial year 2021-2022 would be disclosed in the current year’s returns.

Later in September, the ECP reserved its decision about the former premier’s disqualification.

During a hearing, the PTI chairman’s counsel Barrister Ali Zafar admitted to Imran selling at least four presents he had received in 2018-19 from foreign dignitaries.

PML-N lawyer Khalid Ishaq said Imran had admitted to receiving gifts in his response to the ECP.

He added that the PTI chief had also confessed that the gifts were not revealed in the statements but claimed that items of daily use “were not disclosed by anyone”.

Separately on Wednesday, the ECP secretary met the federal finance secretary to take up the issue of the shortage of funds being faced by the commission, creating difficulties for it in its preparation for the upcoming by-elections.

He added that if the commission did not receive funds on time, the process of the by-polls could be adversely affected.

The finance secretary assured him that the funds would be released on time.