NAB says probe launched against Nawaz over news article

-Anti-graft body rejects impression of victimisation of individuals

–Says concerned news article under investigation

ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Wednesday clarified that it ordered to launch a probe against the alleged money-laundering to India by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on the basis of a news article.

On Tuesday, NAB ordered an inquiry into the alleged money laundering of $4.9 into India by former premier Nawaz Sharif and his aides, at which the World Bank (WB) issued a statement terming the reports of alleged money laundering as ‘incorrect’.

According to a NAB press release, the chairman took notice of a newspaper article published in Roznama Ausaf, dated February 1, 2018, under the title “Money laundering ki raqam kab wapis layi jaegi? (When will the laundered money be brought back?)”, and written by Muhammad Tauseeful Haq Siddiqui. According to the article, the World Bank’s Remittances and Migration Report of 2016 clearly says said that Pakistan sent remittances worth USD4.9 billion to India, with the help of Nawaz Sharif, ex-finance minister Ishaq Dar, ex-governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Ashraf Mehmood and former deputy governor of SBP Saeed Ahmed — through money laundering. This resulted in a drop of the same amount in Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves while simultaneously increasing that of India.

NAB further discussed the crux of the article in which it is alleged that Saeed Ahmed was the key man in the episode who first laundered the money to Dubai and then to India. “The money laundering was uncovered by World Bank’s Country Manager for Pakistan and its auditors when they went through State Bank of Pakistan’s detailed audit report on foreign currency reserve accounts. Afterwards, the World Bank included the same in its Remittances and Migration Report of 2016 which is available online,” NAB quoted the news piece.

The statement further said the bureau was investigating the claims made in the news article in question. It stressed that any investigation pertaining to the allegations of money laundering falls under NAB’s jurisdiction.

The bureau said, “NAB rejects the impression that its objective was victimisation or hurting someone,” clarifying that the institution does not believe in victimisation of any individual.

“NAB is determined to eradicate corruption without discrimination, and according to the law,” the release concluded.

‘VICTIMISATION NOT THE PURPOSE’:

The bureau said, “NAB rejects the impression that its objective was victimisation or hurting someone,” clarifying that the institution does not believe in victimisation of any individual.

“NAB is determined to eradicate corruption without discrimination according to the law,” the release concluded.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi lashed out at the NAB on Wednesday on its recent decision to launch a money-laundering probe against former premier Nawaz Sharif, declaring that it amounts to “pre-poll rigging”.

While speaking to the lawmakers in National Assembly, the PM remarked that a serious allegation had been levelled against the three-time ex-premier. “In the current political situation, this allegation falls within the purpose of pre-poll rigging,” he alleged.

WB’S CLARIFICATION:

The WB had clarified the issue, saying, “In the past day, there have been media reports citing the World Bank’s Remittances and Migration Report of 2016. These media reports were incorrect.”

The World Bank’s Remittances and Migration Report is an effort by the World Bank to estimate migration and remittances numbers across the world, it said. “The report does not include any mention of money laundering nor does it name any individuals,” said the WB. It also referred to a statement by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) that rejected estimates of US $4.9 billion remittances from Pakistan to India on September 21, 2016.

COMPLAINT VERIFICATION ORDERED:

Earlier, NAB spokesman had said that the bureau has taken notice of the alleged media report and ordered complaint verification. He said that the accountability watchdog is committed to its policy of seeing the ‘case’ not the ‘face’, and ‘accountability for all’.

“If the WB report was not correct, did the SBP sought clarification from the World Bank and asked for correction of the report?” the spokesman asked. “If the World Bank report is not correct, why have they not changed the figure of $4.9 billion from Pakistan in its report?” he added.