Imran, other PTI leaders booked in prohibited funding case

FIA Commercial Banking Circle registers the case in Islamabad

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has booked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders including its chairman Imran Khan, the party’s financial team and a manager of a private bank in a prohibited funding case.

According to Express News, the case was lodged by FIA Commercial Banking Circle Islamabad.

Besides Imran, PTI leaders Senator Saifullah Niazi, Sardar Tariq, Syed Younis, Aamir Kayani, Tariq Shafi and members of the party’s financial team and manager of a private bank have been nominated in the case.

FIA sources have confirmed the development, saying that the investigation into the case is underway.

According to a first information report (FIR), the former ruling party leaders have violated the Foreign Exchange Act and they were declared as the beneficiaries of suspicious bank accounts.

The FIA claimed that Abraaj Group also transferred $2.1 million to the bank accounts of the PTI.

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According to the FIA sources, the PTI submitted Arif Naqvi’s “forged” affidavit to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in which the party claimed that all amounts collected by Wootton Cricket Ltd (WCL)  were submitted into PTI’s account in Pakistan.

The affidavit turned out to be false as two more transactions were also made from WCL to two different accounts in Pakistan in May 2013, the FIA sources said.

It also accused the head of a private bank of assisting the PTI in concealing details.

The development came three days after the PTI challenged the FIA inquiry regarding the prohibited funding case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

In the petition, the PTI called for the FIA to be restrained from making arrests and conducting raids in connection with the case.

The party accused the FIA of "harassing" party leaders on a political basis, urging the court to restrain the agency from investigating the prohibited funding case.

Also read: Imran’s arrest warrant issued in Islamabad

The PTI maintained in its plea that the party raised funds to run an anti-government movement after the 'regime change'. All funds sent from abroad were received as per the law, argued the PTI.

"The FIA inquiry and raids are illegal and should be stopped immediately," the petition said, adding that the FIA raided PTI Senator Saifullah Nyazee's house and harassed him.

The FIA kicked off its probe against the PTI in August this year after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had declared in its verdict that the party had indeed received illegal funding.

The case had been filed by PTI founding but disgruntled member Akbar S Babar which had been pending since November 14, 2014.

The written order of the ECP stated that the political party had received illegal funds from foreign countries including the US, UAE, UK and Australia.