SPAM terms his UK visit very successful

LONDON, Oct 27 (APP):Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on accountability, Mirza Shahzad Akbar has termed his visit to
United Kingdom and meetings with government officials very successful and hoped it would help Pakistan check corruption and curbing money laundering besides recovery of assets
acquired abroad through illegal means.
He was talking to a group of Pakistani media persons at
Pakistan High Commission(PHC) here the other day .
Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan to United Kingdom
(UK) Muhammad Ayub was also present on the occasion.
Mirza Shahzad Akbar said that his meetings with UK Home
Secretary Sajid Javid and other officials of law enforcement
agencies and International Anti Corruption Unit would prove a
way forward to further enhancing bilateral relations between
the two countries in the areas including
prisoners transfers,recovery of assets acquired through
illegal means abroad.
He said that he held meetings with British Home
Secretary Sajid Javid and discussed issues of mutual interest
and steps to curb money laundering as well as recovery of
assets acquired through illegal means.
The SAPM said “He also discussed with British Home Secretary
issues of mutual interest, particularly those related to the
provision of mutual legal assistance, extradition
requests, prisoner transfer agreement and steps to curb money
laundering as well as recovery of assets acquired through
illegal means.”
He also informed about his meetings with other
representatives of the British Government Debbie Price, the Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor of
the International Justice Organized Crime Division and
Philomena Creffield, Head of the UK Central Authority.
Mirza Shahzad said that UK authorities had assured
Pakistan for working in close cooperation at the operational
level, having enhanced collaboration in the area of information
sharing and reviewed progress on specific cases for extradition
requests made to the British government.
He expressed the hope that issue of prisoners transfer
agreement with the British government would be resolved soon.
He disclosed that Donald Toon Director Crime Agency of
the UK would be visiting Pakistan in the first week of December
this year.
Replying to a question , he denied that accountability
process was targeted towards a particular family.
He said that government of Pakistan and its
Accountability institutions were against all those elements who
were involved in corruption and money laundering and acquired
assets abroad through illegal means.
He said that government was doing across the board
accountability and wanted to purge Pakistan from the corruption.
Mirza Shahzad Akbar on the occasion vowed to take
actions against all those corrupt elements who looted the
national exchequer and involved in money laundering and made
properties abroad through illegal means.
He said that actions were being taken against corrupt
people in the light of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s decisions.
He informed the media that more than 35
Matual Legal Assistance Cases (MLAs) of Pakistan were pending
with British Government.
British government had assured Pakistan
for resolving the MLAs on priority basis and on the basis of
reciprocity.
He hoped that next month the matter of Swiss account
issue would be resolved.