Hussain Lawai suffers heart attack, admitted to hospital

KARACHI: Prominent banker and main suspect in the Rs 35 billion money laundering scandal, Hussain Lawai suffered a heart attack on Thursday.

The accused, currently in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), was moved to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) for treatment.

Lawai was arrested by the FIA on July 6 under money laundering charges after the agency registered a case in Karachi over a mega money-laundering scandal involving Rs35 billion — said to implicate politicians, businessmen, and bankers.

FIA officials say that 32 people, including Lawai, are being investigated for laundering billions of rupees through ‘benami’ or fictitious bank accounts.

The scandal also includes former president Asif Ali Zardari and several of his close associates, including sister Faryal Talpur.

Speaking to media following his court appearance, Hussain Lawai said he had no connection whatsoever with the money-laundering case.

“No recovery was made [from me]. I’m president of a bank, not a [mere] branch manager,” he said, adding that he did not know whether he had been arrested due to his ties with Zardari or for some other reason.

“Time will tell why I’m being targetted, whether the money-laundering happened or not.”