Money laundering scam suspect tries to evade arrest

According to Shiraz, money-laundering cases involving a whopping Rs80 billion have been registered against Rab Nawaz

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Customs Karachi is reportedly facing stiff resistance in busting a group involved in the multibillion-rupee money-laundering scam on the import of solar panels.

“On Thursday too, our team faced strong resistance in the arrest of Rab Nawaz, the main accused in the Rs80billion scam under the guise of solar panel imports,” Shiraz Ahmad, Director of Post Clearance Audit Customs South Karachi, told The Express Tribune.

Shiraz further said that Nawaz is not cooperating in the investigation process. He had secured bail before arrest in one case. On Thursday, authorities attempted to arrest him during the hearing of another trial in the solar panel money laundering case at the Customs Court. However, he managed to obtain pre-arrest bail from both the Customs Court as well as the High Court.

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Shiraz said that the accused remained within the premises of the court for several hours to evade the arrest, while the customs team waited outside to apprehend him.

Shiraz revealed that Nawaz, also threatened customs staff, with his armed guards stationed outside the court. The lawyers representing Nawaz engaged in a heated exchange of words with customs authorities.

According to Shiraz, money-laundering cases involving a whopping Rs80 billion have been registered against Nawaz. He claimed that Nawaz is the mastermind behind money laundering under the guise of solar panel import.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2024.