- Business community, KCCI president protest FIA’s ‘harrassment’
- Sources say FIA sending notices to those who had benefitted from latest amnesty scheme, which violates the law
ISLAMABAD: Federal investigation agency (FIA) has sought details from more than 200 businessmen regarding the transfer of money abroad, it was learnt on Saturday.
Sources told that prominent businessmen have made millions of rupee investment in Dubai and other countries in recent years, and upon the information of financial monitoring unit (FMU), notices have been sent to them.
FIA came to know that around ten thousand Pakistanis own property in Dubai after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) shared 300 people list last week. The businessmen want to save themselves under the disguise of amnesty scheme, sources added.
Earlier, the business community on Saturday met with the high ups of the federal government and raised the issue of notices with them.
Sources told that those businessmen, who had declared their properties under the declaration of assets scheme announced by the government in 2017-18, are now receiving letters from the government agencies, asking them to submit the details of their property which is unacceptable for them as they maintain that this is against the policy defined in the scheme.
According to law, no government agency including FIA can question individuals who have availed the amnesty scheme.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Junaid Esmail Makda the other day had written a letter to FIA Director General Bashir Ahmed Memon and requested to share details of the accused with KCCI so that such cases could be thoroughly reviewed and if the accused is found guilty of any wrongdoing, KCCI would not interfere in FIA investigation.
It has been brought to KCCI’s notice that many individuals have been receiving FIA notices nowadays in which Suo Moto CP. No. 02/2018 and U/S 5(2) of FIA Act 1974 are cited and the recipient of such notices are being summoned at FIA’s offices and constantly harassed on the charge of owning properties in Dubai.
While expressing deep concerns over harassment of businessmen by FIA, president KCCI has advised that FIA should refrain from such actions and prior to issuing notices or summoning such individuals, the relevant bodies must be taken into confidence.
He mentioned that it is a matter of grave concern that in this regard, a confidential list of such individuals having properties outside Pakistan has been leaked which is widely circulating in social media, creating an embarrassing situation, particularly for those individuals who have recently declared their foreign assets under the Amnesty Scheme announced in 2017-18.
Recently, FIA had summoned a number of individuals on the information of FMU as a huge amount has been transferred in their accounts however they disowned that money.