ISLAMABAD – Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan is likely to be arrested as federal Investigators converted the foreign funding case into a money laundering case and served notice to PTI Chief to appear in person today on Monday.
Reports in local media said if the defiant politician failed to appear before the apex investigation agency, a second notice will be served. PTI chief was earlier told to appear before FIA today, October 31 with the required documents.
Over the weekend, FIA converted the prohibited funding case against Imran Khan into a money laundering case, naming the populist leader as the prime accused.
Reports further suggest that three other leaders of the former ruling party from Karachi also face arrest in the case.
FIA Banking Circle earlier registered a case against Khan and other PTI leaders in connection with prohibited funding received by his party.
According to the FIR, the Abraaj Group, which is owned by business tycoon Arif Naqvi, allegedly transferred $2.1 million to the PTI account in the branch of a bank situated at Jinnah Avenue in the federal capital.
The federal agency alleged that the Imran Khan-led party also received funds from two bank accounts of Wotan Cricket Club.
The FIA has also booked Sardar Azhar Tariq, Tariq Shafi, and Younis Aamir Kiani in the same case. It also stated that Arif Naqvi submitted a fake affidavit to the ECP in a prohibited funding case.
Some officials of the bank branch have also been named in the FIR over failing to report the authorities concerned about suspicious transactions related to PTI.
The FIA had launched its probe against the PTI in August this year after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had declared in its verdict that the party had received illegal funding.
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Announcing ruling on a case filed by disgruntled PTI leader Akbar S Babar in 2014, the top election body said that the Imran Khan-led party also received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals.
ECP maintained that the party had submitted a fake affidavit about its bank accounts, and it had determined that the party hid 13 bank accounts that it should have declared.
