The Islamabad accountability court has initiated the process for declaring former PM’s accountability adviser Shahzad Akbar, former PM’s special assistant Zulfi Bukhari, property tycoon Malik Riaz, Farah Gogi, and other suspects proclaimed offenders in the 190 million pounds reference.
The court issued a written order and directed to put up the proclamations outside the residences of the suspects.
According to the order issued by Judge Muhammad Bashir of the accountability court, the investigating officer of the reference, Mian Umar Nadeem, said the arrest warrants against the six suspects involved in the reference, including Malik Riaz, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Ziaul Mustafa Naseem, Zulfi Bukhari, Ahmed Riaz and Farhat Shahzadi, could not be complied with.
According to the investigation officer's report, the suspects are deliberately not complying with the arrest warrant. The reason for the suspects not complying with the warrant is to spoil the justice system.
Also Read: £190m scandal: Report says Imran Khan met Malik Riaz at PM House before settlement
The order stated that the court was satisfied that the suspects were absconders and hiding to avoid arrests. Under Section 87, notices were being issued against the absconding suspects for being proclaimed offenders. Proclamations should be pasted outside the residences of the suspects.
The proclamations should also be read aloud in the native and residential areas of the suspects, the order stated.
Further proceedings against the suspects would be held on January 6.
Previously, alarming revelations had come forth in the investigation report of the 190 million-pound scam case against former prime minister Imran Khan and others.
The record of correspondence with the UK's National Crime Agency, held by the Asset Recovery Unit of the previous government, has disappeared. The report also confirms Malik Riaz's meeting with former prime minister Imran Khan and former accountability adviser Shahzad Akbar before the settlement of 190 million pounds.
Also Read: Court issues arrest warrants against Malik Riaz, Shahzad Akbar in 190m pound reference
As per the PM House records, the meeting was held on July 11, 2019.
The report states that the missing record was held by Shahzad Akbar and Ziaul Mustafa Naseem. The record was owned by the state of Pakistan, and disappeared to cover up the illicit activities.
The records were made to disappear to hamper the investigation in the case, the report said, adding that the Cabinet Division had conducted an inquiry into the missing records.
