ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing a multi-billion rupees fake bank accounts case has issued charge-sheet against former president Asif Ali Zadari and 12 others in the Park Lane case.
The Accountability Court judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while hearing the case, issued a charge-sheet against Zardari and others accused including Muhammad Iqbal Khan Noori, Director M/s Parthenon Company, Muhammad Hanif, accountant M/s Park Lane and company secretary of M/s Parthenon, Hussain Lawai, former president Arif Habib Bank and Summit Bank, Abdul Ghani Majid , Khawaja Anwer Majid, Taha Raza, relationship manager Arif Habib Bank now Summit Bank, Farooq Abdullah area/branch manager HBL, and Muhammad Saleem Faisal, general manager M/s Tracom Pvt.
According to the charge-sheet, the accused Zardari, who was president of Pakistan during 2008-2013 along with his co-accused persons namely, Iqbal Memon and M Younus Kidwai were director shareholders of the company namely Park Lane estate formed a front company namely M/s Parthenon, which was used as a "special purpose vehicle" merely in order to "dishonestly" obtain, manage and camouflage the financial facility from banks namely, Arif Habib Bank, Limited (Now Summit Bank) and National Bank of Pakistan.
It says that Zardari being president of Pakistan influenced the above said banks through his co-accused persons namely Hussain Lawai, Abdul Ghani Majeed and Khawaja Anwar Majeed for approval and disbursement of the fraudulent financial facility amounting to Rs1.5 billion to the "front" company M/s Parthenon in 2009.
The accused Zardari being Director representative of accused of Park Lane as well as 25 percent shareholder of Park Lane in "collusion" with his co-accused persons/directors devised a scheme of "fraudulent" action for the said financial arrangement, made "false" disclosures of documents, and fabricated a cover for your illegal designs and actions in order to obtain financial facility of Rs1.5 billion. The charge-sheet says that the accused Zardari entered into a "vague self-defeating and so-called" Joint Venture agreement through Park Lane with front company. Zardari being director shareholder managed the transfer of amount obtained through "fraudulent" loan to "your company accounts, and through his co-accused persons misappropriated the same in form of cash withdrawals, and pay orders in the name of fake accounts". Zardari along with his co-accused persons laundered the amount of fraudulent facility from one account to another, and further routed through different accounts including "fake accounts" in order to conceal the origin of crime proceeds.
It says that the accused Iqbal Khan Noori remained 46 percent shareholder and director of front company, Parthenon. Noori was serving as an employee of another company namely, Tameeer-e-Mashriq owned by the co-accused person director Park Lane.
Noori actively participated in the "fraudulent" designs by providing a "cover" to the main accused persons by becoming a shareholder and "dummy" director of the front or dummy company, Parthenon.
The accused in collusion with his co-accused persons obtained "fraudulent" loans from banks through executing loan documents participating in meeting alongside the beneficial owners to lend credence to this fraudulent transaction and secure the interest of his accused person for the purpose of misappropriation to amount obtained through fraudulent financial facility.
The accused, Noori, also acted as representative of the co-accused company Parthenon, which was established by his co-accused person director Park Lane to accomplish the fraudulent designs and ulterior motives of his co-accused persons for the purpose of obtaining a fraudulent financial facility of Rs1.5 billion.
It says that the accused Muhamamd Khanif remained accountant in Park Lane as well the company secretary in the Parthenon company, and the accused in connivance with the co-accused persons presented cheques of bank account of Park Lane at HBL, and withdrew the "crime" proceeds in cash as well as got prepared pay order "in the name of different accounts including fake accounts for the benefit of your co-accused".
The accused assisted his co-accused for laundering the "crime" proceeds by way of getting the remittances application form filled and signed by the other employees of Park Lane .
The accused, Hussain Lawai remained president of Arif Habib Bank and played a direct and pivotal role as president of lead bank in the preparation of "fraudulent" proposal, processing, putting under influence for the approval of facility for fraudulent loan in favour of front/dummy company M/s Parthenon in line with plan of his co-accused namely, Zardari.
Lawai in order to achieve the "malicious" design of his co-accused persons approved the "fraudulent" financial facility at Arif Habib Bank without following the due diligence process of the bank.
It says that the accused assisted and abetted his co-accused persons for getting approval of the proposal from the NBP in order to get a higher share from the government-owned public sector bank. The accused being president of lead bank deceived the syndicate bank by sending false and fictitious information and allowed withdrawal of equity collusively.
It says that accused, Abdul Ghani Majid was the owner of different companies of OMNI group. The accused in "connivance" with his co-accused persons was running the affairs of the "front" company M/s Parthenon being a front man representative of accused Zardari. The accused being a "front" man of Zardari influenced bank officials and pressurized them to approve the "fraudulent" financial facility of Rs1.5 billion for Parthenon Company, which is a front company of accused Zardari, it says, adding that the accused remained instrumental in exerting pressure on government functionaries as well as withdrawal and misappropriation of the equity proceeds of the Parthenon. The accused, Khawaj Anwer Majid was the owner of different companies of OMNI group. Majid was introduced with high ups of the banks by Zardari and he directed the bank official to follow the instructions of 'Majid as his representative. 'Majid front man of and representative of Zardari influenced bank official and pressurized them to approve the fraudulent financial facility for Parthenon Company, which is a front company of accused, Zardari'.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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