LONDON: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s accountability chief Shahzad Akbar has held meetings with officials at the Home Office, National Crime Agency (NCA), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to discuss ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Officials have confirmed to The News that Akbar held three different meetings with officials of the Home Office where issues related to joint operations concerning immigration and border violations as well as political matters were discussed.
The Prime Minister’s aide landed in London on Tuesday and held meetings with officials over three days. Barrister Farogh Nasim and Attorney General for Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan were also present in the British capital at the same time for meetings on arbitration cases. Barrister Zia Nasim, UK-trained legal advisor to Assets Recovery Unit, accompanied Akbar in meetings with the British officials. Sources at the Home Office confirmed that meetings took place where issues were discussed and importance of increased cooperation was stressed. The issue of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was not discussed in these meetings as the letter sent by the Pakistani government seeking his repatriation is quite recent.
The sources said that other issues related to extradition requests came under discussion. A spokesman for Assets Recovery Unit, when contacted, refused to share any details but it is understood that Akbar asked the British government for greater cooperation.
During meetings with NCA officials, both sides agreed to increase cooperation to fight serious and organised crimes. Trusted sources have said that with the help of the government of Pakistan, the NCA is looking into the financial deals — heavy transaction and movement of large funds for real estate investments — of over a dozen rich Pakistanis. Both sides have held regular contacts as investigations into the financial affairs continue. It is possible that in coming days, the NCA could take action against some of the rich people if enough evidence is gathered for prosecution or enough grounds for Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs).
Akbar heads the Asset Recovery Unit formed in October 2019 by Prime Minister Khan to bring back the “looted wealth” from overseas.
UK officials confirmed that although there are difficulties in dealing with the white-collar crimes and to deal with requests of foreign governments and agencies in many instances, they acknowledge that engagement between Pakistan and the UK has significantly become meaningful since Akbar joined Khan’s cabinet.
Akbar also met officials at the HMRC who work alongside and assist the NCA in tracing the cases of tax evasion and money laundering. Officials in Pakistan and the UK are working together to ensure that Britain does not become a tax- haven for investors who, as far Pakistanis are concerned, do not declare their UK wealth before taxmen in Pakistan.
Trained in the UK in legal field, Akbar has quite good understanding of UK’s civil and criminal justice system and he has been able to use his knowledge of the local laws to connect with the UK’s government and legal organisations.
More than a decade ago, Akbar worked with UK’s leading rights organisation Reprieve as a legal consultant and ran a successful rights campaign in the UK and Europe to highlight the effects of drone strikes in Pakistan by Americans. He had toured the UK and other countries with Noor Khan, a Waziristan resident and victims of drone strikes, and successfully highlighted the atrocities from international legal viewpoint.
His interaction with the UK’s government led to the successful repatriation of GBP 190 million in a recent case involving a leading real estate tycoon of Pakistan. There was no finding of the guilt in the case and the matter was civil.
Government sources said that Nasim and the new attorney general held meetings with English lawyers dealing with Pakistan’s cases related to arbitration.
Prior to Akbar’s visit, Pakistani news cycle got gripped with the news that the PTI government has written a letter to UK authorities to extradite former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly violating the eight-week bail by staying in London beyond the allowed time for medical treatment.
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