Imran phones Jemima for record of Bani Gala land funds transfer

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has contacted his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith for the record of transfer of funds for the purchase of his Bani Gala estate, sources told Geo News Wednesday.

According to sources, Imran Khan telephoned Jemima on Tuesday night and asked her for record of bank transactions pertaining to the purchase of land in Bani Gala.

Party sources informed Geo News that Jemima told the PTI chief that the bank through which the money was transferred has been merged in Lloyds Bank, UK. She has also contacted Lloyds Bank and assured of providing it to Khan's lawyers as soon as she received it.

Meanwhile, PTI spokesman Naeemul Haq claimed that all record pertaining to the amount sent for the purchase of Bani Gala land is present. He, however, rejected reports of Jemima's arrival in the country as 'baseless.'

Earlier on Wednesday, Imran's counsel, Naeem Bukhari, presented details relating to the purchase of Bani Gala land in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi pertaining to foreign funding of the PTI.

During the hearing, Bukhari told the court that the first remittance worth Rs14.5 million was paid through Rashid Ali Khan via bank cheque on April 11, 2002. Subsequently, Rs3.5 million and Rs1 million were paid on September 3, 2002, and October 1, 2002, respectively.

On January 23, 2003, Rs5.7 million were paid, while another Rs0.8 million were paid afterwards, he told.

Bukhari said Jemima transferred a total of Rs40.848463 million for the purchase of land in Bani Gala.

At this, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar said the record shows part of the amount transferred by Jemima, while remaining remittances does not have her name.

He told Bukhari that he had to satisfy the court regarding five remittances, questioning, "Where did $280,000 came from."

The court further sought details of PTI's objections in foreign funding case by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and its opinion regarding its jurisdiction to hear the case.

The court then adjourned the hearing until Thursday.