Money-laundering case: JIT urges SC to freeze Zardari, Omni group assets

ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing money laundering and fictitious bank accounts Saturday recommended to the Supreme Court to freeze all assets of former president and PPPP President Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and Zardari and Omni groups.

The case pertains to laundering of around Rs220 billion through fictitious bank accounts.

The team also recommended freezing of Bilawal House, Karachi and Lahore, and Zardari House, Islamabad.

The investigation also urged that the New York and Dubai properties owned by Zardari, along with all five plots of Bilawal House in Karachi be frozen.

It also recommended freezing all urban and agricultural lands owned by Zardari, Talpur, and the Zardari Group. It also moved the apex court to order that all assets of Omni Group, including sugar mills, agricultural companies and energy companies, be frozen.

Meanwhile, Zardari and Faryal Talpur submitted their response to the Supreme Court on the JIT’s findings.

“That allegations levelled in the JIT report and executive summary filed before the SC in the captioned matter are strictly denied in toto; it is respectfully submitted that no wrongdoings have been done by the answering respondents. The JIT Investigation Report No-1 to 27, innumerable documents and statements of witnesses recorded by JIT have not been supplied to the answering respondents. The JIT be directed to provide the same including JIT Report No-25. That the JIT Report and Executive Summary are based on surmises and conjectures and are outcome political victimisation,” read the response submitted by Farooq H. Naek, counsel for Zardari and Talpur.