Scotland Yard passed Dr Imran Farooq file to CPS for decision

By
Murtaza Ali Shah
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LONDON: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has received files from the Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command Unit (SO15) for a charging decision in relation to the murder case of former Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader and one of its founder, Dr Imran Farooq, it can be confirmed.

Geo News understands that that the latest file carries evidence related to Mohsin Ali Syed, Khalid Shamim and Moazzam Ali Khan, obtained from Pakistani authorities.

“We have received files in relation to the death of Dr Imran Farooq and a charging decision will be made in due course,” said a CPS spokesman.

The spokesman also confirmed that the police had passed file to the prosecutors for a decision on the MQM leader’s incitement speeches but the charging decision was not allowed and “advice” was given to the police on the file – which means the investigation continues, centred around Altaf Hussain’s 22nd August 2016 speech and his speeches leading up to this date.

The spokesman told this scribe: “We have given early investigative advice in the case of Operation Demerit, which is looking in to allegations of hate speech.”

Operation Demerit by Scotland Yard is investigating various speeches of the MQM leader to determine whether any laws of the UK were broken during Altaf Hussain’s speeches in which he is alleged by Pakistani authorities to have incited violence against the law enforcement agencies of Pakistan leading to killings, acts of terror and civil strife. Pakistan has passed a dossier to the police carrying transcripts, videos and translations of Altaf Hussain speeches, requesting action.

The News has learnt from a credible source familiar with the MQM-related cases that the CPS has shown consistent reluctance to allow charging decisions in relation to the MQM related case - first in the money-laundering and secondly in the on-going incitement and murder inquiries – giving rise to the fears that political and diplomatic influence is being exerted at top levels in these cases. Its pertinent to mention here that several months before the money-laundering investigation into the MQM leadership was dropped by the police, this correspondent had revealed that the police has passed “incomplete file” to the CPS, without doing a proper and thorough investigation.  

When this correspondent put questions of external influences to the CPS and the police, both denied coming under pressure and said they worked independently of the government.   

The CPS said: “All our charging decisions are taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors which contains a two-stage test. The first is whether there is sufficient evidence and, if there is, the prosecutor considers the public interest. In this case there was insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.”

When asked if the UK will consider Pakistan’s request of re-opening of money-laundering case against the MQM leader, the CPS spokesman said that “the reopening of any investigation is a matter for the police”. The spokesman further said that no correspondence has been passed in this regard to the CPS.

The police spokesman said that all of the evidence identified during the course of an investigation into allegations of money laundering was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration. “Both the police and the CPS work independently of government and decisions are made according to the law in the UK.”   

The spokesman said that detectives from the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) are investigating Dr Farooq's murder and remain committed to putting before the courts those responsible.  

Scotland Yard has failed in over six years to bring to justice the killers of British national Dr Imran Farooq to justice and one of the key reasons is the three way dispute between Pakistan, Scotland Yard and the CPS. Pakistan wants to hand over Mohsin Ali Syed, the killer who physically attacked Dr Farooq, Moazzam Ali Khan, who arranged visas and sponsorship of the murder plot characters Mohsin and Kashif Khan Kamran, and Khalid Shamim, who acted as the coordinator, but Scotalnd Yard sources have told Pakistan on record that its interested in only Mohsin Ali Syed as he was present in the UK at the time of the killing and enough evidence exists about him to prosecute him successfully. Scotland Yard has told Pakistan that it requested the CPS to allow charging decisions on all three but the CPS has refused to do so.

But the latest confirmation by the CPS to this correspondent that it has received file from the police generates prospects that the CPS might allow charging decision of all three as demanded by Pakistan as the unit investigating Dr Farooq’s murder is of the view that there is no chance Pakistan will hand over only Mohsin Ali Syed. Pakistan insists that for the UK to crack the real characters behind the murder conspiracy of Dr Imran Farooq its important to charge and prosecute Moazzam Ali Khan and Khalid Shamim or else the full depth of the murder plot will never be revealed and the matter will end at Mohsin Ali Syed who is a small character in the high profile murder plot.