RAWALPINDI: The investigation surrounding model Ayyan Ali’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 Benazir Bhutto International 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 condition of anonymity, said, “Ayyan does have a national tax number (NTN) but no tax was paid.”
He said that the evidence provided by the model through her legal team was not enough to justify her innocence or ownership of property and legality of the money.
“It is yet to be proven that the money was legal and not being smuggled out of the country,” he added.
The investigators have not been able to access Ayyan’s mobile phone due to a password on it.
The investigation team has interrogated Ayyan at Adiala jail three times so far and she has stood by her claim about the ownership of the money and property each time.
The investigators have now decided to check the serial numbers of the currency notes to see whether they are registered or not, and have started contacting financial institutions for this.
“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.
Moreover, the customs official said that a charge-sheet is almost complete and is expected to be produced on April 11.
Meanwhile, middleman and stamp seller Mumtaz and property dealer Najeeb Haroon, to whom the model claims to have sold the property, have also failed to satisfy the interrogators.
They also failed to tell how and where they got the money and whether they paid any tax on it or not.
Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench has rejected Ayyan’s bail plea, while the customs court, has rejected her request for B-class facilities in the jail.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 8th, 2015.
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