Opposition tracks money trail of 43 Sharif family members

Claims based on FIA reports of 1990s; fake accounts opened in banks; Rs145m sent abroad through hawala, hundi

ISLAMABAD: Though the prime minister and his family insist that the London flats were bought in 2006 after transferring money to the UK through legal channels, the opposition has come up with some alleged money trails of 43 members of the Sharif family from 1988 to 1993 claiming that Rs145 million were laundered abroad through hawala and hundi while the PM paid Rs887 as tax during that period. The tale of fictitious bank accounts opened in the name of the Qazi family of Lahore has once again been revealed in the opposition’s questions and the Sharif family has remained quiet on this allegation.

The questions of the opposition are hard hitting and require a reply as these are not mere questions but are facts prima facie as they are based on the investigations done during the 1990s by the FIA. In the wake of the Panama Papers, the opposition has come up with the alleged money trail of the Sharif family during the 1990s which are indicting.

The opposition’s questionnaire claims that a sum of Rs145 million was sent from Pakistan to the Bank of Oman in the United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere and the same money was used for converting it into foreign exchange currency and then repatriated name of 43 Sharif family members. The details are: 1) Shaista Abbas, 180/181-H, Model Town, Lahore, Rs5,660,000; 2) Abbas Sharif, Rs5,000,000; 3) Nusrat Shahbaz, Rs4,500,000; 4) Mohammad Abbas, Rs 2,000,000; 5) Shamin Akhtar Rs3,000,000; 6) Sadar Begum Rs5,660,000; 7) Tariq Shafi Rs2,000,000; 8) Naseem Tariq Rs2,000,000; 9) Javed Shafi Rs1,000,000; 10) Kaukab Javed Rs3,000,00; 11) Zahid Shafi Rs3,000,000; 12) Farzana Zahid Rs3,000,000; 13) Pervaiz Shafi Rs3,000,000; 14) Khalida Pervaiz Rs3,000,000; 15) Shahid Shafi Rs2,000,000; 16) Samreen Shahid Rs3,000,000; 17) Bano Begum Rs5,660,000; 18) Riaz Miraj Rs3,000,000; 19) Yasmin Riaz Rs4,500,000; 20) Ilyas Miraj Rs3,000,000; 21) Shehzad IIlyas Rs 2,000,000; 22) Ijaz Miraj Rs 3,000,000; 23) Hanifa Begum Rs 5,660,000; 24) Yahya Siraj Rs 3,000,000; 25) Neelofar Yahya Rs 3,000,000; 26) Khalid Siraj Rs 2,000,000; 27) Rehana Khalid Rs 4,500,000; 28) Farrukh Siraj Rs 3,000,000; 29) Shamin Begum Rs 5,660,000; 30) Farooq Barkat Rs 2,000,000; 31) Azmat Farooq Rs 3,000,000; 32) Iqbal Barkat Rs 2,000,000; 33) Abida Iqbal Rs 4,500,000; 34) Hassan Barkat Rs 3,000,000; 35) Hussain Barkat Rs 4,000,000; 36) Maqsooda Begum Rs 5,660,000; 37) Yusaf Aziz Rs 3,000,000; 38) Kausar Yusaf Rs 4,500,000; 39) Aslam Bashir Rs 3,161,500; 40) Farrah Aslam Rs 6,899,000; 41) Idrees Bashir Rs 1,000,000; 42) Mahmoona Idrees Rs 2,000,000 and 43) Mohammad Tayyib Rs 35,000. 

The opposition claims that Shaista Khan and Jamshed Khan, the Hawala/Hundi dealers from Peshawar, were engaged by PM and his family to siphon large amounts of funds of his family through bank accounts of the dealers located in Peshawar. 

“Isn`t it a fact that according to your first cousin Khlaid Siraj, initially an amount of over Rs140 Million was transferred to Bank of Oman, Sharjah from Pakistan through Hawala/Hundi and  later the same amount was credited to Shamrock Consulting Corporation in its Allied Bank Stock Exchange London Branch? Wouldn`t you agree that the said amount was used in the purchase of Park Lane Apartments during 1993-96?” the opposition has asked. 

Furthermore, the opposition has also mentioned the alleged money trails made during the 90s by the Sharif family by using the names of famous Qazi family of Lahore. The PM has been asked that in August 1992, Javed Kayani opened 3 foreign currency accounts in the name of Sulman Zia, Mohammad Ramzan and Asghar Ali at Habib Bank AG Zurich, Lahore with deposits of less than $300 each and during the course of investigation, it was revealed that these individuals do not exist and their ID cards were fictitious and foreign exchange and travelers cheques worth $37,94,762 were deposited in those accounts on the basis of which Dollar Bearer Certificates (DBCs) worth $49,20,000 million were issued. 

Javed Kayani then opened more fake accounts in the name of Kashif Masood Qazi and Mrs. Nuzhat Gohar Qazi at the Bank of America, Lahore and Sikandara Masood Qazi at Citibank, Lahore. These individuals are genuine but they are UK nationals who never visited Pakistan during the time when their foreign currency accounts were opened at Lahore in Pakistan and they were closely known to Ishaq Dar. DBCs of $1.5 million were deposited in the accounts of Kashif Masood Qazi and Sikandra Masood Qazi and later $5,00,000 in the account of Nuzhat Gohar Qazi was transferred to the account of Kashif Masood Qazi. 

According to the testimony of the handwriting expert, Sulman Zia’s signature on the transfer instructions was written by Javed Kayani and these amounts were all paid into Shamrock Consulting Account Number 121-35914 at Lloyds Bank Plc. Old Street, London. The money received by Shamrock Consulting was then transferred to an account in Zurich at Banque Paribas en Suisse in 2 tranches - $2,00,000 on 3 February 1993 and $1,50,000 on 26 February, 1993. 

It is a fact that total payments worth $20,81,038 were paid into the fake account of Sulman Zia (Account # 202120-106561) with the following breakdown: i. $7,00,000 in travelers cheques on 4 October 1994. ii. $7,50,000 in travelers cheques on 8 October 1992 by the Saudi Holland Bank, Riyadh. iii. $1,06,297 transferred from the Karachi Branch of France’s Societe General bank on 30 December 1992. iv. $1,49,081 from Union Bank of Switzerland on 5 January 1993. v. $94,405 from Union Bank of Switzerland on 6 January 1993. vi. $1,00,000 in travelers cheques on 28 April 1993. vii. $1,00,000 in travelers cheques on 8 May 1993. viii. $79,924 from Habib Bank AG Zurich in Switzerland on 21 June, 1993. 

All US dollar travelers’ cheques have to be cleared in New York and the transfer to Sulman Zia’s account of the above traveler cheques to the tune of $1.65 million was confirmed by the US authorities at the request of the FIA and by bank records. 

“Isn`t it also a fact that the entire activity in this account was carried out by Javed Kayani in his own hand writing and finances lodged in the Sulman Zia’s account were disbursed to Javed Kayani, members of his family and an offshore company called Sharmock Consultant Corporation? 

“Isn`t it also a fact that they were also used to raise Dollar Bearer Certificate (DBCs) that formed collateral to a loan amounting to Rs60 million provided by Hudabiya Engineering Limited, whose directors are members of PM’s family,” the opposition asked.

It asked, “Isn`t it also a fact that the out-going payment from the Sulman Zia account clearly established its link to Javed Kayani and Sheikh Saeed, namely: i. $3,900 to Marium Begum from Kayani’s account number 202-120-101265 at the Habib Bank, AG Zurich, Lahore, on 28 September 1993. ii. $8,114 to Javed Kayani’s account number 202-120-101265 on 28 September 1993. iii. $62,610 to Star Trading and Marine Incorporated in New York on 4 July 1993. This is a company owned by Sheikh Saeed. iv. $7,50,000 in the form of DBCs was transferred from the fake account of Sulman Zia to account number 230133-91 in the name of Kashif Masood Qazi at the Lahore Branch of Bank of America. (Kashif Masood Qazi is a UK national who runs a small clothing business in London. He is nephew of Ishaque Dar). v. A sum of $750,000 was also transferred to the account of Kashif Masood Qazi from a fake account at Habib Bank AG Zurich in the name of Mohammad Ramzan. vi. A further amount of $5,00,000 was transferred to the account of Kashif Masood Qazi from the account of Nuzhat Gohar Qazi at the same branch of Bank of America who is sister of Ishaque Dar.”

“Isn`t it evident from these transactions that the ultimate beneficiary of money laundering from Switzerland via the fake account of Sulman Zia was the immediate family of Hussain Nawaz Sharif? Isn`t it true that the link between the Sulman Zia account, Kashif Masood Qazi and the Sharif family’s Hudabiya Engineering Company can be proved beyond any doubt?” it asked.