The chief financial officer (CFO) of Omni Group, Arif Khan, has been arrested by Interpol in Dubai, Federal Investigation (FIA) sources said Wednesday.
Khan, arrested in connection with the money laundering case, is expected to be extradited to Pakistan later this week.
According to sources, the Omni Group CFO looked after the affairs of five to six companies in Dubai which would send money to over 400 individuals in at least eight countries. It is reported that Rs 25 billion in transactions took place via these companies.
Khan is also said to be well versed in the fake accounts of 12 companies, including the Thatta Sugar Mill.
Arif Khan’s arrest is the latest in the money-laundering case being investigated by the FIA. Those under investigation include former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur.
Close aides of the former president, including Hussain Lawai and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed, his son Abdul Ghani were arrested by FIA last year in connection with the case.
The case pertains to ‘benami’ accounts opened in private banks in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made. The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
Separately, a city court in Karachi on Tuesday acquitted Nisar Morai in the murder case of former Pakistan Steel Mills chairman Sajjad Hussain.
Morai was set free over unavailability of evidence against him.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, Zulfiqar Mirza and others were already acquitted in the murder case of Sajjad Hussain.
The former PSM chief was shot dead on Sept 11, 1998 in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) while he was on his way back home.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Mohammed Khan Chachar, Dr Nisar Morai, Salimuddin alias Salloo and Sohail Ahmed alias Panga were the co-accused in the case. The trial court had convicted Mohammad Chachar, though he was acquitted by the high court. Dr Nisar, Salimuddin and Sohail were declared absconders by the court.
The investigation officer said in the charge-sheet that Salimuddin and Sohail Ahmed were arrested in Sept 1999 and during the interrogation, the two suspects disclosed that the former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza had allegedly telephoned them in Sept 1998 and asked them to kill the former Steel Mills chief.
