ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has ordered that real estate magnate Malik Riaz and close aides of PTI Chairman Imran Khan appear on December 1 in a case relating to a 190 million pound (Rs. 50 billion) settlement, seemingly to tighten the noose around former PM Khan.
The details of the NAB notice show that the owner of Bahria Town, Malik Riaz, was asked to appear before a joint investigation team of the anti-corruption watchdog on December 1 at 11 am at the bureau’s Rawalpindi headquarters.
The notice further claimed that Ali Riaz Malik and others had entered into an out-of-court settlement agreement with Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) for the repatriation of funds to the government of Pakistan following an investigation into allegations of abuse of power, financial gain, and criminal breach of trust.
Previously, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah revealed a secret agreement between the NCA and Malik Riaz’s family members in June of this year.
Furthermore, a £190 million settlement offer that includes a UK property, 1 Hyde Park Place, London, W2 2LH, was accepted by the NCA in December 2019 which had a value of almost £50 million.
Besides, it is also allegedly believed that former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife accepted millions of dollars in cash and hundreds of Kanal of land from Bahria Town in exchange for aid Malik Riaz received from Khan’s administration during the NCA investigation.
Sanaullah claimed that Bahria Town had given a trust owned by Imran and his wife 458 Kanal of land with an on-paper value of Rs. 530 million after Malik Riaz was protected by the previous PTI government.
He added that Farah Shehzadi, also known as Farah Gogi and thought to be a close friend of Mr. Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, received another 240 Kanal.
These 458 Kanal are the ones that the accountability bureau is currently looking into and had issued the call-up notice to Malik Riaz for further investigations.
It is worth noting that Imran Khan’s 21-member cabinet had also been summoned on 24th Nov by NAB over the approval of sending £140 million from Britain to Bahria Town founder, Malik Riaz’s account.
