Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary Monday said the nation stands united against corruption and wants cases against those who looted money and made properties in London and Dubai reach their logical conclusion.
Addressing a press conference flanked with Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shehzad Akbar here, he said from day one the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had promised to the nation that it would put big thieves behind bars. “We have achieved 90 percent success in this regard and will hopefully get the target of remaining 10 percent soon,” he said. “The opposition wants that it should be given an NRO (National Reconciliation Ordinance) or corruption should be legalized,” he added.
Talking about the fake bank accounts case, the minister said the accused did not dispute even a single fake account during the hearing in the Supreme Court. Asif Ali Zardari is the real owner of Omni Group and the apex court has directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to complete the investigation of the case in two months, he added. He said the top court also directed that the names of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Murad Ali Shah be removed from the exit control list (ECL).
Fawad said the PTI stands by its demand that Murad Ali Shah should resign from the post of Sindh chief minister as immense corruption was done through fake bank accounts while he was at the helm of affairs either as Sindh finance minister or chief minister. The Omni Group could not get benefits without his cooperation, he said. NAB will decide its next course of action on the cases, he said, and appreciated the efforts of the joint investigation team (JIT) for digging out the facts.
The minister said the PTI government did not initiate any case of corruption, rather those were filed in 2015. “However, the incumbent government has given freedom to the investigation agencies to look into the cases and take further action,” he added.
Fawad said the leadership of two main parties had signed the ‘charter of corruption’ with the understanding that they will not open each other’s cases. “Now Maulana Fazlur Rehman is trying to forge an ‘alliance for restoration of corruption’,” he remarked.
Explaining the nature of the visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the minister said he was on a private visit in the first two days, while the third day was an official one. He said the United Arab Emirates had made a significant contribution in setting up hospitals and charities in Pakistan. The announcement regarding the $3 billion package for Pakistan had already been made by the UAE, he said. “UAE also has an important role in the ongoing negotiations for peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan and the UAE have strong strategic and economic ties,” he noted.
To a question, the minister said when the PTI government came into power, the economy was in a bad condition. “Initially, it had to take measures like those of firefighting to stabilize the situation and now it is working on a plan to provide an industrial and manufacturing base by encouraging exports, discouraging imports and creating jobs,” he added.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shehzad Akbar said the Supreme Court had not rejected even a single allegation mentioned in the JIT report in the fake bank accounts case. “All those named in the JIT report, including Asif Ali Zardari, Faryal Talpur, Murad Ali Shah, Omni Group owners and Bahria Town’s Malik Riaz, could not defend themselves against allegations of corruption and money laundering, in their replies submitted to the Supreme Court,” he added.
“No answers have been given by the Pakistan People’s Party leadership about the allegations contained in the 131-page JIT report and its 1,000 annexures. They still have a chance to get them cleared during investigations by NAB,” he added.
He said the Supreme Court had not exempted Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Murad Ali Shah from NAB investigations. The top court did not take their reservations into account and referred the case to NAB for further investigation as per JIT’s recommendations.
He said as per JIT report, land worth billions of rupees was illegally occupied by the accused, adding that they would have to respond to each and every allegation. He said the accused would have to answer for billions of rupees deposited in their accounts for awarding contracts to ineligible persons. “Which favours were given to the contractors against the amounts deposited in the fake accounts?” he asked.
He said fake companies were established with fake bank accounts and hidden properties were bought abroad. The accused would have to answer as to how the Omni Group expanded from few companies to 98, he added.
He said as per the JIT’s findings, money was also transferred to the bank account of Farooq H Naik’s son. He said the payment for air tickets of top PPP leaders was made from the fake accounts. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah would have to answer for the way the Sindh Bank was being operated, he added.
Published in Daily Times, January 8th 2019.
