Minister for Information & Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has held the Sharifs and the Zardaris, the two top political families of the country, responsible for committing corruption that led the country to present staggering economic conditions. Chaudhry said this during a joint press conference along with Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar here on Sunday.
Coming down hard on the Sharifs of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the information minister alleged that they laid down the foundation of modern-day corruption in Pakistan, adding the Sharif family started money laundering in 1988. He claimed that Sharif family laundered about Rs 1.17 billion through TT (telegraphic transfer) by using their company, Hill Metals Establishment.
"The Sharif family adopted the same method of money laundering in Hill Metals Establishment which they have used in Hudaibiya Paper Mill. Hussain Nawaz sent Rs 1.17 billion including Euros 126,768 to Nawaz Sharif and the latter gave Rs 820 million out of the amount to his daughter Maryam Nawaz who bought agriculture land," the Minister said.
Chaudhry said that there was $37 billion debt of Pakistan in 2008 which reached $97 billion in 2018, adding $60 billion debt increased in the 10 years when the PPP and PML-N ruled the country for five years each.
He said that Sharif family introduced Economic Reform Act in 1992 to keep the source of capital hidden. He said it was found out that in late 1990s, the Hudaibiya Paper Mill was involved in huge suspicious transactions. He said the former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was involved in money laundering and he himself confessed his role in such transactions.
He said that it has been noted that many specious transactions were made in 1996-98 by using Hudaibiya Paper Mill Company and about Rs 95 million were transferred to Pakistan from foreign countries. He also claimed that Sharif family members including Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz, Shahmeem Akhtar, Abbas Shiarf, Hussain Nawaz, Sabia Abbas, and Maryam Nawaz were beneficiaries of Hudaibiya Paper Mill. He said that former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was hired for money laundering of the Sharifs. He claimed that Ishaq Dar made fake bank accounts and stashed money in those accounts. He said that money was sent aboard through Hawala, Hundi and other sources.
He said that the names of 40 people and other sources were used who transferred money from foreign countries in the accounts of Sharif family through TT (telegraphic transfer, an electronic method of transferring funds). He said that first the money was sent aboard from Pakistan and then it was transferred back though TTs in the accounts of Sharif family.
The Minister also claimed that $56 million were also transferred to Shehabaz Shairf through TTs. He said that money was transferred to Hamza Shehbaz, Salman Shehbaz and daughters of Shehbaz Sharif through TTs.
Regarding National Accountability Bureau's investigation into Shehbaz Sharif holding assets beyond known means of income, he said, "An investigation was started in October 2018 and in November 2018 all of a sudden all the family members started leaving the country."
"Authorities noticed that 200 swift messages were generated and $26 million dollars were transferred to the Shahbaz Sharif family," he continued. He said almost the entire family's income could be traced to telegraphic transfers.
"They weren't earning even a single rupee in Pakistan. Shehbaz Sharif's sole declared income was what he earned as chief minister. There was no other [source of] income."
The real beneficiary in all this was Shehbaz Sharif, he claimed, adding that multiple real estate properties were bought with money obtained through telegraphic transfers.
"If this money is coming from abroad and they have a legitimate business, then there is no problem. But the problem emerges when 200 swift messages are identified and it is found that 70 individuals sent money to Shehbaz, Nusrat, Salman, Hamza and the daughters," he alleged.
"All the people sending money here are either those who do not even exist (a reference to ghost accounts), or do not have the capability of sending such amounts," claimed the information minister.
"Shehbaz Sharif who used to wave his finger and say that if even one rupee worth of corruption is proven, he will bow out of politics, in actuality does not even own one rupee of his own; all the money is actually yours and mine," he further alleged.
Chaudhry said a very small portion of the laundered money has been brought back to Pakistan by the Sharifs and the rest is still stashed abroad.
About the money laundering of PPP leaders, the minister claimed that Asif Ali Zardari bought a whole bank for money laundering. He said that FIA has investigated 5,000 accounts in Sindh. He said that Zardari created a network of fake accounts and used the names of poor people like drivers, guards and others for transactions. He said that as many as 32 fake accounts were the main accounts out of 5,000 accounts, wherein money was stashed from other fake accounts. He said that transactions were made into 32 accounts to provide money to his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his daughters and Ayyan Ali. He said that Omni Group was also involved in it.
The minister said that the corruption has led to inflation, falling exchange rate of Pakistan rupee, and all sorts of issues faced by Pakistanis in the country and abroad.
Speaking on the occasion, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar said fake companies were set up in Dubai to launder money. He said members of Sharif family are unable to reply to the queries of NAB regarding corruption. He said nation wants the accountability process to reach its logical conclusion and the government is committed to bringing back the looted money.
Minister of State for Revenue Hammad Azhar said former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is giving his opinion on current economic situation based on assumptions. No independent economist has endorsed the policies of Ishaq Dar, he said.
The minister for information while replying to a question said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is committed to ridding the country of the menace of corruption and he is supported by the whole nation in this task.