Money laundering case: FIA submits documents in Islamabad accountability court

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday submitted all documents pertaining to the mega money laundering case in an accountability court in Islamabad.

The documents state that FIA has arrested six suspects, including Aslam Masood, so far while 50 others are in the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) custody.

A banking court in Karachi on Friday ordered the transfer of the fake bank accounts and mega money laundering case to Islamabad. Following the order, the NAB summoned Former president Asif Ali and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on March 20.

The case of Masood, chief financial officer of Omni Group, has also been transferred to Islamabad. 

Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur on Saturday moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the banking court's decision.

Meanwhile, NAB Rawalpindi has arrested former director land KDA Najmul Zaman and former director Special Initiative Department Hasanul Memon. According to NAB, bother the former officers have been arrested over allegations of awarding contracts illegally.

The case

The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July last year in connection with the probe.

The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed a close aide and Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August 2018.

Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.

The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.