Pakistan asks UK to reopen money laundering case against MQM founder

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday demanded the British government to reopen a money laundering case against the founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and four others.

The case against the MQM chief started in the end of 2012 when the police found £167,525.92 in the MQM’s offices in London and a further £289,785.32 in party chief’s home during raids.

The MQM supremo was arrested on June 3, 2014 by the Metropolitan Police and then released on bail.

Scotland Yard said during the course of investigation that it had “credible evidence that the MQM received funds from the Indian government sources and broke the electoral laws of Pakistan and the UK”.

However, it dropped the long-running case against the London-based MQM leadership in October 2016.

Scotland Yard announced that “no further action will be taken against the MQM chief” and others in the long-running money-laundering case, deciding to drop the investigation altogether and effectively ensuring that the sensitive evidence involved in this case doesn’t go to public for fear of causing rifts between Pakistan, the UK and India.

After over three months since the case was dropped, the Pakistan Ministry of Interior has contacted the British government pertaining to the high-profile case.

The ministry, in its letter written to British authorities, also demanded provision of evidences found during investigations in UK.