Ayyan failed to pay tax on $500,000 seized from her possession, investigators reveal

Customs official says it is yet to be proven that money with was legal and not being smuggled out of the country

RAWALPINDI: The investigation surrounding supermodel Ayyan's 'money laundering' case took yet another turn on Tuesday when investigators found that she had failed to pay tax on property and the money that was seized from her possession.

Ayyan, who was caught with $500,000 at the Islamabad airport last month, has been repeatedly claiming that she received the money after selling plots and had paid tax on it.

During the investigation, however, details of the money were sent to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) with a request to check whether she had paid any tax on it or not.

While quoting the FBR findings, an official of the Pakistan Customs Department, on the request of anonymity, said, “Ayyan does have a national tax number (NTN) but no tax was paid.”

Further, evidence provided by the model through her legal team are not enough to justify her innocence or ownership of property and legality of the money, the official said.

“It is yet to be proven that the money was legal and not being smuggled out of the country,” he added. Besides, her phone could not be accessed due to a pass code on it.

The investigation team has interrogated Ayyan at Adiala jail three times so far and she has stood by her claim regarding the ownership of the money and property each time.

Read: A model and her money: Tax officials interrogate Ayyan in jail

The investigators have now decided to get the serial numbers of the currency notes checked to see whether they are registered or not, and have started contacting financial institutions in this regard.

“If the serial numbers are found unregistered, it would mean the money is illegal and another FIR under the Money Laundering Act can be registered against her,” the official said.

So far, Ayyan is being interrogated under the Customs Act but if she is booked under a money laundering case, her stay at the Adiala jail may be prolonged.

Read: Customs officials deem Ayyan's proof of currency ownership dubious

Moreover, the Customs’ official said that a charge-sheet is almost complete and is expected to be finalised and produce at the next hearing on April 11.

Meanwhile, middleman and stamp seller Mumtaz and property dealer Najeeb Haroon have also failed to satisfy interrogators “There was a clear difference in their statements,” the official said.

They also failed to provide details of the money how and where they received it and whether they paid any tax on it or not.

Read: ‘Not entitled’: Court sets aside Ayyan’s request for VIP facilities

Meanwhile, earlier, the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench rejected Ayyan's bail application, while the Customs court, where she will appear on April 11, has rejected her application regarding provision of B-class facilities after Customs’ officials objected that under Customs Act she was not entitled to such kind of facilities.