NAB chief takes notice of UAE businessman’s video

ISLAMABAD: NAB chairman has taken notice of a video appeal by an Arab businessman to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Saqib Nisar, The News has learnt. Sources said the probe about video of a UAE businessman Hussain Sajwani has serious political repercussions for top guns in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and an ARY Anchor Sabir Shakir, who has been alleged of cash -for-deal scandal.

Sources told The News that the NAB chairman has sent the video message to a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing assets and misuse of authority by Federal Minister Azam Khan Swati on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The JIT has already questioned the minister on Wednesday and asked him about the charges levelled in the video along with allegations of encroachment and misuse of authority in Islamabad IG transfer case.

A senior NAB official told The News that the JIT has been conveyed to further verify fraud allegations levelled against Swati in the video message of the UAE businessman.

The JIT is headed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Director General Irfan Mangi, and it includes Intelligence Bureau (IB) official Ahmed Rizwan and Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Director Mirvais Niaz, and it is expected to submit its report before the Supreme Court next week.

In his viral video message Sajwani had accused Swati and the former Senator Adnan Khan who is son-in-law of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak of defrauding him of more than 49 million UAE Dirham and appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to form a JIT to probe the allegations. In the same message the businessman alleged that ARY Anchor Sabir Shakir has charged him 01 million Dirham to broker a deal between him and PTI leader but failed to deliver on his promise.

Talking to The News, Azam Swati, Adnan Khan and Sabir Shakir have strongly denied allegations of Arab businessman. However, Swati and Adnan admitted doing business with him saying the ties have been severed now. Talking to The News, the anchor said his version on allegations is same which he had already tweeted a few days ago. Tagging the video message, the senior anchor had tweeted on November 3 that he did not took even a single Dirham as alleged. He quoted a Quranic verse about “the curse of Allah on the liars” and said, “It is Lie; a flat lie. Allah has protected me from all kinds of ill-gotten money,” he tweeted.

Sources in JIT said the minister denied allegations levelled against him in the video by Hussain Sajwani. They said the JIT is ready to hear Hussain Sajwani if he travels to Pakistan.

The News tried to contact the UAE businessman on his phone number given in the video. Responding to The News questions the businessman Hussain Sajwani said he has solid evidence against all the three accused in his video, including details of financial transactions, photos and email and phone data of their calls. He shared some of the documents with The News but veracity of those could not be confirmed as yet. He alleged that the minister lost a criminal case against him in Duabi on presenting fake document. According to a certificate by the Public Prosecution Department of the Dubai, the government, a copy of which is available with The News, the department rejected the “false report of Muhammad Azam Khan Swati against Husain Sajwani”. The document was later shared with the minister by The News who confirmed it but claimed the case was rejected on technical grounds and not on fake documents.

The UAE national said Swati and Adnan Khan had been doing business with him for last 15 years. He said the minister has requested a UAE court to block his passport so that he could not come to Pakistan to sue him in local courts. Sajwani said he has already contacted Pakistani diplomats in UAE and informed them about the mega scam of more than 40 million dirham (Rs1.46 billion). He claimed that Swati lost a criminal case against him after allegedly presenting fake documents in UAE court. The Arab businessman claimed that Adnan Khan took 3 million Dirham from him for a building project in Bhurban and about two million again before his senate elections in 2009. In total, he said that former senator owes him more than 9 million Dirham, including 2 million Dirham for an LPG project which never saw the light of day.

When contacted by The News, Minister for Science Azam Swati admitted business dealing with Hussain Sajwani but out-rightly refused allegations of fraud.

Talking about the allegation of losing case against the Sajwani the minister said: “This was when my lawyer tried to lodge a criminal report against Sajwani for selling nontransferable which police said you have civil case then I filed petition and I won; he (Sajwani) filed an appeal in UAE high court and he lost then he appealed to the Supreme Court, and he lost and warrant of his arrest issued, his property seized and will be auctioned soon by execution Judge,” the minister said. He also shared some documents with The News to support his claim.

When he was shown documents of his deals with Sajwani, the minister said: “For God sake a blackmailer is giving you his story why do not you call the anchor or see UAE Supreme Court judgement that I have sent you and then read his warrant of arrest due to his fraud for selling me non-transferable building.

He said the Sajwani’s passport is taken by the UAE court because “he was to pay me judgement-money he did not pay in one month and that is there law to cancel his passport upon disobeying the court order. Now, he is an absconder and police are looking for him.”

He said the three courts in UAE have reviewed all allegations in long legal battle. “Once court will get my judgement-money he is welcome to Pakistan,” the minister said. In his version Adnan Khan said he had done business with Sajwani but denied allegations of taking money for Senate elections or LPG deals.

Yes, we worked on Murree land project; but I have delivered the land to him which he later sold to a Pakistani. “I am ready to talk to him if he gives me any evidence of money given to for Senate election or LPG.”

Adnan Khan said he never met journalist Sabir Shakir. He also denied that the PTI leadership was contacted on the issue by Sajwani. When the Arab businessman was contacted again on allegations against him levelled by Azam Swati, Sajwani said he was never arrested but his passport was confiscated after he lost case in the court. “I lost the case because Swati misguided a local court here about our business deal. My key witness in the case was Swati’s frontman, Naeem, but preempting this the minister lodged complain against his own front man and got him arrested, so he could not testify for me,” Sajwani said. Sajwani said he has hired Ahmad Raza Kasuri to fight the case in Pakistani courts, but he ruled out possibility of immediately travelling to Pakistan to appear before the Swati-JIT.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had taken suo motu notice of Islamabad IGP Jan Muhammad’s abrupt transfer last month. The IGP was transferred on October 27 after he allegedly refused to take action on a complaint by the son of Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati, regarding a fight over purported encroachment with a family at their farmhouse.

During the hearing, the chief justice had ordered the JIT to inquire “whether Swati as a minister was involved in misconduct or not” regarding the Islamabad IGP’s transfer. The JIT is also tasked probe into Swati’s assets and whether he can travel to the United States or not. Sources said the JIT will submit its report before the Supreme Court next week.