Aleem’s counsel says complete money trail provided to NAB

ISLAMABAD: PTI senior leader Aleem Khan is facing a case of assets beyond means as he has failed to justify the means to buy his four London flats and other properties in Dubai, said a senior official of NAB, The News talked to, on condition of anonymity.

He said the response submitted by Aleem Khan’s counsel is not satisfactory. He has failed to provide the proper money trail of two Benami transactions worth Rs198 million and Rs140 million and NAB will further probe this case. These transactions were carried out when he was provincial minister from 2003 to 2007.

Advocate Azhar Siddiqui, counsel for Aleem Khan, while talking to The News, said they have submitted each and everything to NAB in this case. “We have provided complete money trail of the London flats and also provided the affidavits of individuals who were involved in two Benami transactions,” he said. The NAB has sought some additional information which they will provide soon, he said.

The NAB’s senior official has said that Rs198 million was sent abroad in 2004, 2005 and 2006 through Benami transactions. Later, the amount was remitted back to Pakistan into the accounts of a company A&A which is owned by Aleem Khan’s mother. However, Aleem Khan has failed to prove money trail of these Benami transactions, informed the source.

“Similarly, Khan has also failed to provide the money trail of Rs140 million Benami transactions. The money was spent to buy Benami properties in Pakistan and later these properties were declared by a company R&R through tax amnesty scheme. Both are very strong cases of assets beyond means and are very similar to Mian Nawaz Sharif’s case of assets beyond means,” the NAB’s senior official informed.

According to letter No 1(9) HQ/1897/CO-E-II/NAB-L, issued by NAB Lahore dated 31st July 2018, a copy of which is available with The News, the accountability bureau has summoned Aleem Khan on August 8, 2018.

The NAB letter says, “This bureau is conducting the subject inquiry under the provisions of NAO 1999. Vide above referred letter, you were called upon to appear in person on 12.07.2018. On the said date a questionnaire requiring information/record was given to you. On your request time was given till 18.07.2018 to submit reply/ requisite record to this Bureau. In this regard your reply was submitted on your behalf by Mr. Imran Anwar on 30.07.2018.”

The letter further says, “In this regard, you are further required to provide the mode of transfer of money loan given by Mrs. Naseem Khan to your company R&R established in Dubai. You are also required to provide source of investment required for business activities carried out by R&R apart from current asset holdings of your company in Dubai. Moreover you are further required to produce Mr. Numair Hameed Khan and Mr. Omar Farooq Mannan Benamidars of your parents in real estate business as claimed by you in your reply. In view thereof you are called upon to appear in person and provide the requisite information/ record to the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) on 08.08.2018 at NAB Complex Thokar Niaz Baig, Lahore, without failure. You are advised that failing to comply with this notice may entail penal consequences as provided in S.2 of the schedule of NAO of 1999.”

It is worth mentioning here that one of the Benamidars whose name was used for this Benami transaction —Mr. Omar Farooq Mannan – is personal secretary of Aleem Khan. It is pertinent to mention here that all these Benami transactions worth Rs198 million and Rs140 million were carried out when Aleem Khan was a provincial minister in Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s Cabinet. Aleem Khan was provincial minister for information technology during 2004, 2005 and 2006 when these two Benami transactions were carried out.

Counsel for Aleem Khan is confident that they have the complete money trail of these transactions and London and Dubai properties. According to him, this is a very simple case as all the offshore companies of Aleem Khan are declared with the FBR.

“Most of the transactions in real estate business are Benamidar. However, Aleem Khan’s parents have declared their offshore companies with the FBR and they are regular tax payers. We have answered all the questions of NAB and also provided the money trail of London flats and Dubai properties. All the transactions for these properties were carried out before he was elected as MPA,” commented Azhar Siddique.

He said Aleem Khan purchased four apartments in London and paid upfront payment of British Pound 336,404. The remaining amount for these flats was paid through bank loan worth British Pound 1,188,596. The bank loan is being paid through the rent payment of these flats, said the counsel for Aleem Khan. He said these properties were declared in the amnesty schemes of 2001 and 2006. He said neither his client’s offshore companies were hidden nor were these properties undeclared.