ISLAMABAD, Sep 29 (APP):The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has concluded in its investigations that the leader of the opposition in National Assembly Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif was the principal beneficiary of the money laundering committed in the name of his family members and associates.
According to the investigations, Shehbaz was also principal beneficiary of these money laundering activities by way of spending and acquisition of properties through money derived from these fictitious IDs.
The Rs 7.32 billion reference filed against Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and family has provided a clear evidence that the Sharif family had arranged inward FTTs (remittances) through hundi-hawala dealers based in Lahore, UK, UAE by using fictitious identities of mostly their lower ranking persons.
Some of the remitters had already requested NAB to take action against those, who misused their identity for financial fraud.
The remitters were shown as business partners/ friends of the Sharif family while the remittances were shown as foreign investments in the Banks’ Declaration Forms.
Some of the remitters including Qasim Qayyum, Shahid Rafique and Aftab Mehmood who laundered the money through fictitious FTTs arranged from UK via their hundi-hawala network have confessed their role in facilitating this money-laundering. While M Mushtaq Cheeniwala has also confessed his role as a facilitator in money- laundering.
The NAB reference against Shehbaz Sharif has established through indelible documentary evidence (SWIFT Messages, Remittance Forms) that money-trail of each and every fictitious FTT landing into the personal accounts of the family-members, employees and front-persons.
The transactions made to/from the accounts of paper/ front-companies (Waqar Trading Company, Good Nature Company & Nisar Trading Company) are also established through complete documentary evidence of transactions and banking instruments (Cheques, Deposit Vouchers etc).
The reference was filed accountability court Lahore by Lahore bureau (NAB) against Shahbaz Sharif Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz, Hamza Shehbaz, Suleman Shahbaz & others for assets disproportionate to known sources of income & money-laundering to the tune of Rs 7.32 billion.
The details of the remittances included Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz received 26 fictitious FTTs amounting to 1.9 Million US$ (Rs. 147 Million) in 2009/10 in her personal Account (A/C No. 1003371201) in Bank Al-Falah Circular Road Branch, Lahore.
As per bank’s record, these FTTs (remittances) were made from UK and UAE by people like Mehboob Ali (Street-hawker Sadiq Plaza Lhr), Muhammad Anjum (fictitious ID) and Muhammad Aurungzeb R/O Khanewal etc.
These remittances have been acknowledged by recipient as ‘Business Investments’/ ‘Private Transfers’ and relationship with the remitters has been declared as ‘business relationship’. The fact is that Mehboob Ali R/O Mohallah Fazil Imam Shirazi, Bhera, Sargodha is a poor person who worked outside SBP Building, Lahore as a Street-hawker.
He is neither a man of means nor he ever travelled to UK (or anywhere outside Pakistan). Interestingly, Muhammad Aurungzeb denied having any relationship with Sharif family or having remitted amount to Mrs Nusrat Shehbaz.
Leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz received 23 fictitious FTTs amounting to 2.98 million US$ (Rs 181 Million) in 2007/08 in his personal Account (A/C No. 1003371090) in Bank Al-Falah Circular Road Branch, Lahore.
As per banks’ record, these remittances were made from UK and UAE by people like Mehboob Ali (Street-hawker) and Manzoor Ahmed Paparwala etc. These remittances have been acknowledged by recipient as ‘Business Investments’/ ‘Private Transfers’ and relationship with the remitters has been declared as ‘friend/ business relationship’.
The fact is that Manzoor Ahmed Paparwala R/O Village Khewianwala, PD Khan, Jhelum runs a small papar-shop in his native village. He is neither a man of means nor he ever travelled to UK (or anywhere outside Pakistan). Hamza Shahbaz discontinued receiving FTTs into his personal account (12-02-2008), a short-time before he filed nomination papers for the General Elections 2008, to avoid direct risk of money-laundering.
Suleman Shehbaz received 127 fictitious FTTs (18 million US$)/ international Pay-Orders total amounting to Rs 1.18 billion from 2009 to 2015 in his personal Account (A/C No. 1003371199) mainly in Bank Al-Falah Circular Road Branch, Lahore. As per banks’ record, these FTTs were made from UK & UAE by people like Manzoor Ahmed (Paparwala), Ramiz Shahid (Salesman in UAE), Zeeshan Javed (farmer Pattoki), Azhar Mughal (scrap-dealer Gujranwala), Rana Zaheer (salesman Faisalabad) and Adnan Anwar (salesman Hyderabad) etc. These remittances have been acknowledged by recipient Suleman Shehbaz as ‘Business Investments’/ ‘Private Transfers’ and relationship with the remitters has been declared as ‘friend/ business relationship’. The fact is these persons are not men of means.
Further, they have categorically denied having any acquaintance with the Sharif family or having made any remittances to them. Some of them have requested NAB to take action against those who misused their identity for financial fraud.
Mrs Rabia Imran received 10 fictitious FTTs (0.75 million US$) total amounting to
Rs 57 million from 2007 to 2009 in her personal Account (A/C No. 1003371170) in Bank Al- Falah Circular Road Branch, Lahore.
These remittances have been acknowledged by recipient Mrs Rabia Imran as ‘Business Investments’/ ‘Private Transfers’ and relationship with the remitters has been declared as ‘business relationship’. As per banks’ record, these FTTs (remittances) were made from UK & UAE by people like Manzoor Ahmed (Paparwala) and Muhammad Kashif (ghost remitter/ individual with this name and date of birth does not exist in NADRA Database).
Mrs Javeria Ali received fictitious 7 FTTs (0.28 million US$) total amounting to Rs 31 Million from 2012 to 2013 in her personal Account in Bank Al-Falah Circular Road Branch, Lahore. These remittances have been acknowledged by recipient Mrs Javeria Ali as ‘Business Investments’/ ‘Private Transfers’ and relationship with the remitters has been declared as ‘business relationship’.
As per banks’ record, these FTTs (remittances) were made from UK & UAE by people like Ramiz Shahid (Salesman in UAE) and Adeel Malik (Bank employee UAE). Both have categorically denied that they ever had so much income and requested NAB to take action against those who misused their identity for financial crime.
Regarding money laundering through fictitious FTTs received through the accounts of employees,front men of Shehbaz Sharif the reference has presented further evidence that inward FTTs through various hundi-hawala dealers were also arranged into the accounts of various employees/ frontmen and then the received amounts were transferred into the businesses owned by the Shehbaz Sharif family, included Syed M. Tahir Naqvi (absconder), a trusted friend/ manager of Suleman Shehbaz, received 12 fictitious FTTs from UAE amounting to 1.3 million US$ (April-June 2015) in the account of a paper-company (Waqar Trading Company) of which he was a sole- proprietor and subsequently transferred Rs 130 Million (June 2015) as ‘fake loan’ to Suleman Shahbaz.
Muhammad Mushtaq Cheeniwala, a frontman of Sharif Group (arrested/ approver) received fictitious FTTs and then transferred Rs 603 million (2014/15) as ‘fake loan’ to Suleman Shahbaz.
Nisar Ahmed Gill (arrested) & Ali Ahmed Khan (absconder), were friends/ class-fellows of Suleman Shehbaz. They were awarded key-appointments as Directors to ex-CM Punjab Mian M Shehbaz Sharif on Political Affairs and Strategy/ Policy respectively from 2009 to 2018.
Both of these staff-officers to ex-CM Punjab were also owners/ Directors of a ‘paper company’ (Good Nature Company). Both Directors received fictitious FTTs amounting to Rs 154 million (2016) and transferred that amount to Good Nature Trading Company which is shown to be conducting business with Ramzan Sugar Mills.
Money laundering through a fictitious company Nisar Trading Concern.. The reference has also established that account of a fake company (Nisar Trading Concern) in Silk Bank Lahore was set-up and used to receive payments amounting to Rs 515 million (2010-15) from various builders, contractors, owners of private housing societies and politicians associated with PML-N. This amount was subsequently withdrawn in cash by Masroor Anwar & Shoaib Qamar (trusted Cash Riders of Shahbaz Sharif Group; both arrested and under-trial) for utilization by the Shahbaz Sharif family.
This account of Nisar Trading Concern was opened and operated in the name of Rashid Karamat (purchase assistant/ low-profile employee of Sharif Feed Mills) by CFO M Usman on the instructions of Suleman Shehbaz.
Purchase of assets by Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and family using proceeds of fictitious FTTs/ money laundering through fictitious companies. The details of assets acquired through the proceeds of money-laundering by the Shehbaz Sharif family include.
Rs 2.16 Billion (seed-money) was invested as share-capital & Rs 614 million invested as directors’-loan into various businesses owned/ set-up by Mian M Shehbaz Sharif family including Al-Arabia Sugar Mills, Chiniot Power Ltd., Sharif Feed Mills Ltd., Sharif Dairy Farms Pvt Ltd & Ramzan Energy Ltd. This money was derived from these fictitious FTTs and there is no other source available for setting up this huge business empire.
Rs. 129 million derived from the fictitious FTTs (received in the personal account of Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz Sharif) was used to purchase / construct ex-CM Shehbaz Sharif’s residence (located at merged Houses No. 87/96-H Model Town Lahore). This residence is owned in the name of Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz and was also officially notified as the Camp Office of ex-Chief Minister Punjab from 2010-2018.
Some Rs 58 million derived from fictitious FTTs/ laundered proceeds were used for expansion and construction of Nishat Lodge at Donga Gali, Abbotabad while Mian M Shehbaz Sharif was CM Punjab. This lodge is also owned in the name of Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz
Houses No. 8/7 & 8/8 (measuring 1 Kanal) Block-A Phase-V DHA Lahore were purchased for Rs 39 Million (owned in the name of Mrs. Tehmina Durrani & Shehbaz Sharif) by Mian M Shehbaz Sharif in 2015/16. Then Villa No. 19 & Cottage No. 23 in Whispering Pines Resort, Margalla Hills, Haripur valuing Rs 15 Million (also owned in the name of Mrs. Tehmina Durrani) was purchased by Mian M Shehbaz Sharif in 2017. These residences were gifted by Mian M Shehbaz Sharif to her wife in 2015 and 2017 respectively (declared as ‘gift’ in FBR returns).
However, before the purchase of these properties Mian M Shehbaz Sharif did not have sufficient funds in his personal account. Masroor Anwar – the trusted cashboy (who withdrew laundered money from Good Nature Company and Nisar Trading Concern) deposited ‘cash’ (to break the money-trail) into the account of Mian M Shehbaz Sharif, before these purchases. This money was then utilized by Mian M. Shehbaz Sharif to purchase these properties.
Mian M Shehbaz Sharif utilized Rs. 4.9 Million (transferred by Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz Sharif on 20-08-2008) for payment of Customs Duty of his Land-Cruiser (Model 2008) to Collector Customs Karachi. Mrs. Nusrat Shehbaz had received a 69,960 US$ (Rs. 5.2 million) fictitious FTT, a day earlier, into her personal account from UK in the name of one M. Aurangzeb R/O Khanewal (mentioned above) on 19-08-2008.
House No. 48-51 Phase-I Judicial Society, Thokar Niaz Beg, Lahore and Houses No. 61-71, Block-K Johar Town Lahore valuing Rs 136 Million were purchased/ owned in the name of Hamza Shehbaz. The money for this purchase was derived in cash from Good Nature Company & Nisar Trading Concern.
391 Kanal Agricultural Land, Mauza Dhorahtta, Chiniot purchased for Rs 96 Million and owned in the name of Hamza Shehbaz, is also found disproportionate to known sources of income.
