KARACHI - A banking court in Karachi on Tuesday sent Omni Group Chairman Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed to jail on judicial remand in money laundering case.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials have produced Anwar Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed before the trail court, wherein the prosecutor has informed the court that the investigation has been completed therefore, no further physical custody of the custody was required.

The court inquired about the absence of the Investigating Officer (IO), the FIA prosecutor has informed that the IO is engaged with another assignment in Islamabad, therefore, the custody have been brought by the second investigating officer. The defence lawyer has submitted an application seeking to provide proper medical treatment. Majeed’s counsel pleaded the court to shift his client to a private hospital instead to the prison on judicial remand.

The FIA prosecutor has opposed the plea of the accused and submitted that it is the jail authority’s responsibility to take any initiative pertaining to provide medical facility to the under-trail prisoners (UTP), the court has observed that only the trail courts can issue order about the custody. The court ordered that a medical examination be conducted of Abdul Ghani Majeed and the report be submitted in the next hearing to be held on September 4.

Before the court’s proceeding, the media representatives have asked several questions to Anwar Majeed but he only gave few replies. The journalists asked him question about the reports regarding raids conducted on his sugar mill by the law enforcers, he responded that only one sugar mill was raided.

Replying about the arms recovered from his sugar mill, Anwar Majeed said that there were no illegal weapons recovered during raid.

The Omni Group Chairman has confirmed the reports about the meeting with former President Asif Ali Zardari at the hospital, but he denied that he had ever given any confessional statement about his involvement in money laundering.  Anwar, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, and his son were arrested on August 15 in connection to a case pertaining to money laundering through fake bank accounts. The FIA prosecution has claimed that 32 suspects are under investigation pertaining to the money laundering from the suspicious bank accounts, including Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.

Former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai and Talha Raza were already in the judicial custody in the same charges. Hussain Lawai, is close aide of Zardari.

According to the FIA prosecution, more than 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened during 2013 to 2015 from where illegal transactions worth billions of rupees were made, and the amount was allegedly gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.