'I have nothing to hide, ready to appear before Broadsheet commission': Tariq Fawad Malik

• Broadsheet LLC scandal's central character Tariq Fawad Malik says he "did nothing wrong and has "nothing to hide"
• Says supervising the Broadsheet LLC and Trouvons LLC cases was part of his job
• Claims Pakistan lost the Broadsheet LLC case in Britain due to "wrong advice"

DUBAI: Tariq Fawad Malik, the main character in the Broadsheet LLC and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) scandal, has said that he will appear before the Broadsheet Inquiry Commission if the government of Pakistan requires him to.

Tariq Fawad Malik was reportedly the person who convinced General (retired) Amjad, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman in 2000, that he could help Pakistan bring back the “looted wealth” from overseas.

It was a marketing brochure making claims about assets recovery that Tariq Fawad Malik, a former Air Force (PAF) Pilot Officer dismissed from service over fraud offences, showed to General Amjad, arranged a scripted visit to Colorado to win over his trust, and the rest is history. 

Read more: Tariq Fawad Malik: the founder of messy Broadsheet deal

Speaking to Geo News in Dubai, Malik said that "he has nothing to hide," adding that supervising the Broadsheet LLC and Trouvons LLC was part of his job.

"The agreement between NAB and Broadsheet LLC was mutual and the accountability watchdog duly signed it," Malik said. "The NAB is answerable for signing the agreement."

Malik claimed that he had done "nothing wrong," adding that it is true that Broadsheet LLC "could not make any recoveries and failed to achieve its goals."

He went on to say that Pakistani lawyers "failed at every front" regarding the Broadsheet LLC case and lost the long-running litigation at the London High Court.

"Pakistan lost the case due to wrong advice," he said.

Read more: NAB - Broadsheet saga: Pakistan pays Rs4.59 bn to British firm for lost case

The Broadsheet LLC scandal

Broadsheet LLC was hired by the National Accountability Bureau during Pervez Musharraf’s government in 1999 to trace assets in the UK and USA of more than 200 Pakistanis (called "targets" in the contract) including generals, politicians, and businessmen — Benazir Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari, and Nawaz Sharif were the chief targets.

The firm began pursuing legal action against NAB after it ended its contract in violation of the terms and conditions. The bureau was ordered by a London court to pay for damages, liabilities, and interest accrued.

The London High Court’s Financial Division issued on December 17, 2020, a Final Third Party Order for payment to Broadsheet by December 30, 2020 — drawing the curtains on a case that has cost Pakistani taxpayers billions of rupees.

Pakistan then made a payment of $28.706 million (Rs4.59 billion) to the British firm after losing the long-running litigation at the London High Court. 

Related: PCB issues clarification after Broadsheet threatens to seize Pak cricket assets