Farah Gogi's asset details highlight corruption

Assets of ex-PM’s friend grew by 420% during the PTI govt; PML-N demands answers

ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE:

The disclosed assets of Farhat Shahzadi alias Farah Gogi, reportedly a front person of former prime minister Imran Khan, allegedly rose by Rs4.52 billion from 2017 to 2020, the Express News reported on Thursday, pointing to massive corruption by a close friend of Imran and his wife.

According to the report, Gogi had admitted owning assets of Rs950 million in 2020, but her declared assets grew by 420% during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government led by Imran Khan. The report further alleged that she also owned undeclared assets worth Rs3.82 billion.

The report claimed that those assets were the personal property of Gogi, while the assets of her husband Ahsan Jameel Gujjar and other relatives and shareholders were separate. It cited the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) records showing Gogi as director in several companies.

According to the records, The Express News report said, on December 3, 2019, UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) returned £190 million to the then PTI government in an out-of-court settlement with a property tycoon and Gogi got 240 kanals of land from that property tycoon on July 19, 2021.

This valuable land was transferred to Farah Gogi, the front-person, as a bribe. And in return for this bribe, the PTI government avoided pursuing a case for damages of Rs460 billion.

The report continued to say that Gogi took full advantage of the tax amnesty scheme announced in 2018 and with the support of the PTI chairman she availed the scheme and regularised Rs489 million in black money collected through bribes for various postings and transfers, and government contracts.

Providing details of the alleged assets of Gogi, the report mentioned agricultural land in Bahawalpur and Gujranwala, residential and commercial properties in Islamabad and Lahore and 200 kanals of agricultural land in Chakri.

Investigations further showed, according to Express News, Gogi was also involved in crimes like money laundering. It added that she and her husband continued to work in UK as fake doctors and as director in the Goldstar Euro (Pvt) Ltd.

The report said that the Goldstar Euro (Pvt) Ltd had turned out to be a shell company. This company was dissolved on February 1, 2022, and 11 days later, the Manika Private Limited was established on February 11, 2022.

According to the Express News report, the number of Gogi's bank accounts also showed an abnormal increase from 2019 to 2021. A huge sum of Rs426 million was deposited in just one bank account through 47 different transactions from 2018 to 2022.

Apart from this, 102 bank accounts of Gogi, Gujjar and their other partners have been detected across the country. The total amount was Rs14.5 billion, it added.

Meanwhile speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Central Deputy General Secretary Ataullah Tarar said that Gogi’s total assets increased by a whopping 15,300%. He added that Gogi had no qualifications other than being a friend of Imran’s wife Bushra Maneka.

“Today, there have been shocking revelations about Farah Gogi's assets,” Tarar said. He alleged that it was a trio, comprising Gogi, Bushra Maneka and the dummy chief minister of Punjab Usman Buzdar behind all this corruption.

“Seeing the success of the no-confidence motion, [against then prime minister Imran Khan in 2022], the PTI chief sent Gogi and her husband abroad,” he said, adding that Farah Gogi should come back to Pakistan and testify about the PTI chairman. “Farah Gogi will have to answer for these assets,” he added.

“Which business gives 420% return? Did they install a money-making machine in Bani Gala [the residence of the former prime minister]? He [Imran] destroyed the national economy but he fixed his personal economy.”

Reacting to Tarar’s press conference, Imran’s lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat, who said he was speaking with the permission of Imran Khan, termed the allegations of Tarar a new wave of propaganda against Bushra Bibi.

Marwat told reporters in Islamabad that Pakistan had reached a point where political temperatures had reached a boiling point. “Circumstances demand that [PML-N] supremo Nawaz Sharif declare that Pakistan cannot afford any more political unrest.”