June 01, 2017
News
SC gives Imran 7 days to submit money trail
* Court seeks reply from ECP on PTI's objection over commission's jurisdiction to decide on party's foreign funding issue
by Syed Sabeehul Hussnain
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to submit his reply within one week over the matters pertaining to money trail of Bani Gala residence and offshore company Niazi Services Incorporation Limited.
The notice was issued on a civil miscellaneous application filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi through his counsel Advocate Akram Sheikh.
Abbasi had requested to direct Khan to produce the statement of accounts of his offshore company from its opening till date along with record of accounts from Citibank to establish the authenticity, and consequently, reliability of Khan's documents.
The application stated that Khan's lawyers had disclosed that the loan obtained for purchase of the flat in London was returned to Jemima Khan and that it was paid back to her from the account of Niazi Services Corporation through a cheque amounting to GBP 562,415.54.
"The refund of this amount is of course important but what is more important are the sources from where the 117,500 GBP funds were reportedly generated by Imran Khan, who claims to have acquired the same through playing cricket on which taxes were paid both in Australia and London. Yet no record of payment of any payments or any taxes paid thereon in London and Australia has been provided. Therefore, it raises a big question mark as to where the seed money for the purchase of the flat in 1983 came from?" the petitioner questioned.
It added that Khan was required to produce his 2003 income tax returns to confirm the declaration of such funds having been brought to Pakistan and duly declared by him.
PMLN's application stated that Khan had recorded that the flat in London was placed in NSL by him which was an admission that flat was purchased prior to it being placed in NSL as an asset thereof.
"In case of PTI LLC California (6160), the number of ghost donors is 114, corporations are 80, Indian probable (from the pattern and resemblance of name) are 23, foreigners 21 and duplicates are 34. Similarly, in the case of PTI Texas LLC (5975), the number of ghost donors is 10, corporations 195, Indian probable 18, foreigners 21 and duplicates are 51. Therefore, the plea of the defendants that all the funds was raised from overseas Pakistani's only stands refuted," the application stated.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar observed that evidence would have to be submitted before the court if Imran Khan had taken loan from his wife. He further asked the counsel as to what will be the consequences if it was not proven that loans were taken from Jemima for the purchase of the Bani Gala property.
The counsel told the bench that Jemima had been contacted for the documents to be produced before the court. He requested for more time to produce a complete record of the banking transactions leading to the purchase of the land.
The top court also sought a reply from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding PTI's objection over the commission's jurisdiction to determine the party's foreign funding issue.
The hearing of the case has adjourned till Wednesday (today).
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk