KARACHI - The Supreme Court mandated Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in a fake bank accounts case held its first meeting on Thursday. JIT has initiated its investigations in the fake bank accounts case involving Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur and their close aides.
The meeting mulled over the direction in which further probe has to be carried out against all the accused of money laundering through fake bank accounts. According to sources privy to the matter, JIT has set up its secretariat in Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) new building at Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area.
On September 6, the apex court constituted a six-member joint investigation team to investigate the fake bank accounts case.
Six members of the JIT, headed by Additional Director General (Economic Crime Wing) FIA Headquarters Ahsan Sadiq, include Commissioner-IR (Corporate Zone) Regional Tax Officer Imran Latif Minhas, Joint Director BID-I State Bank of Pakistan Majid Hussain, Director National Accountability Bureau Noman Aslam, Muhammad Afzal, Director (Specialized Companies Division) Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan and Brigadier Shahid Parvez of Inter-Services Intelligence.
The case background
Former president Asif Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur were among over a dozen suspects declared absconders in the money-laundering scam.
In the FIA list, Anwar Majeed and his son’s names appeared on top of the list while those of Zardari and Talpur were on the 19th and 20th number, respectively.
According to the FIR registered by FIA, transactions of billions of rupees were made into suspicious accounts, including the one owned by the PPP leaders, the Zardari Group, which is accused of receiving Rs 15 million of the laundered money.
In December 2016, the Pakistan Rangers conducted raids at the Karachi office of the Omni Group of Companies and the residence of its owner Anwar Majeed, a close aide of Zardari, and confiscated record allegedly related with money laundering.
