Imran fails to submit Bani Gala money trail

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief to provide details of money transactions for purchase of Bani Gala land instead of producing unverified documents and correspondence that took place between Imran Khan and his former wife Jemima Goldsmith. A three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab, was hearing a petition filed by PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi seeking disqualification of PTI chief Imran Khan and Secretary General Jehangir Tareen for non-disclosure of their assets, ownership of offshore companies and for PTI being a foreign-aided party. Resuming his arguments, Naeem Bukhari, counsel for Imran Khan, pleaded that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should not have any concern with the assets, income and liabilities of his client, as it was the job of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to scrutinise such details. To a query of the chief justice whether 75,000 pounds were the assets of his client or not, he stated that his reply would be in negative. He said he refutes the allegation of giving any gift to evade taxes. He said an email had been sent to his client’s former wife Jemima and she has told that she was in contact with the banks to get details of the translations and she would send it as soon as she got it. To a court query, he said Jemima has confirmed that she received 75,000 pounds. He also presented a letter of Imran Khan to his bank in 2003 for transfer of the said amount into the account of Jemima. The chief justice observed that the responsibility of providing evidence about the financial transactions lied on Imran Khan. Bukhari then sought time to respond to the court’s queries about the transfer of funds for the purchase of Bani Gala land. Justice Bandial observed that the documents on record did not prove that Imran Khan brought the money back from London. Akram Sheikh, counsel for Hanif Abbasi, apprised the court that the bank statement submitted by Imran Khan was of May 19, 2017, despite the case was about a year old. “It was a very simple case, however it had been made much complicated by giving contradictory statements,” the chief justice maintained. Bukhari assured the court that he will soon furnish a complete reply about the ownership of Niazi Services Limited and its transactions. The chief justice, however, noted that PTI chief’s counsel had time and again failed to furnish any satisfactory response about the money trail. He noted that only the unverified copies of the documents pertaining to money trial were produced so far. “Just prove your client did not acquire Bani Gala land through money laundering,” the chief justice asked Bukhari. Bukhari again contended that Jemima had gifted Rs 6.5million to Imran Khan and the money was later returned to her. Justice Faisal Arab asked the counsel to provide verified proof of his contention. He observed that it was not disclosed earlier that Jemima had gifted this amount to Imran Khan. The counsel then repeated his contention that it was a personal matter of a husband and wife, thus it was not disclosed earlier. The court directed Bukhari to produce the record of transfer and return of this amount. “You have provided money transaction of only three sums, which include 20,000 pounds, $33,000 and $270,000,” the chief justice noted. Concluding his arguments, Bukhari submitted that Jemima has confirmed that after disposing of his London flat in 2003, Imran Khan had given her 562,000 pounds. The chief justice noted that the court was only looking into the source of fund and transaction of money, as Imran Khan was a public office holder though he did not have any public funds. He told the counsel that he has yet to prove remittance of 0.1 million pounds from Jemima for the purchase of the Bani Gala land in 2003. The court has adjourned further hearing till Tuesday.     Published in Daily Times, September 29th 2017.