Sattar, Kamal facilitated MQM founder, alleges Merchant

By
GEO NEWS
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KARACHI: Sarfraz Merchant, the central character in MQM money laundering case, has said that Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal led facilitators in Pakistan of the London-based MQM founder.

Speaking on Geo News programme 'Naya Pakistan', he said members from both the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) facilitate the MQM founder.

Merchant, a former aide of the MQM founder, has also been accused of money-laundering by the Metropolitan Police and remained on police bail along with the other leaders of the MQM, following his arrest in 2013.

"Farooq Sattar and Mustafa Kamal led these facilitators," Merchant said.

The former MQM affiliate also said that both the party chiefs have been "following the MQM founder's line."

Last month, Merchant said the London Metropolitan Police has not closed the money laundering case against the party founder.

Speaking to Geo News at an event in London, he said the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will soon proceed with the case.

“The [London Metropolitan] police never closed the money laundering case. Evidences are present which will be handed over to the authorities soon and on basis of [that evidence], I’m 99% certain CPS will reverse its decision and proceed with the case.”

Merchant's arrest

Merchant was arrested after the police found that dozens of payments were made from his account into the MQM’s UK account for the party founder and another senior figure, Muhammad Anwar.

Receipts seen by Geo News showed that these payments were: £200,000 to MQM UK for MQM supremo (from March-August 2013) and £256,923 to Muhammad Anwar’s account (from December 2012 to April 2014).

When the police raided the MQM office in December 2012, a packet containing cash from a London club was found in the office, which the MQM said in its affidavit submitted to the police, belonged to Sarfraz Merchant while Merchant told the police that he had given this money as donation to the MQM.

The former aide to MQM founder later explained that he gave donation to the party in early December 2012 and then the MQM leader himself “requested for a loan in 2013”.

He, however, said he had been misled as the donation payment that he had made turned out to be illegal, because the MQM was not a registered political party or charity in the UK and therefore, it could not claim donations.