The Ministry of Interior has barred 95 individuals from leaving the country with regard to a case pertaining to money laundering through fake bank accounts.
Of the total, 78 have been placed on Exit Control List (ECL) and 17 on the FIA’s Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) or ‘stop list’.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari or any of his family members have not been named in the list.
The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July in connection with the probe. Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son Abdul Ghani Majeed were also arrested by the FIA in August. Lawai, Majeed and his son remain under custody.
Investigations so far have revealed that several ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made.
The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.
Published in Daily Times, October 9th 2018.
