Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that Malik Riaz and his son should “face the courts and present their defence”, a day after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said that The government was reaching out to the United Arab Emirates to seek the business tycoon’s help. extradition in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
For his part, Riaz described the NAB’s action against him as a “new blackmail demand” and stated that he would not testify, without specifying in which case.
The development comes hot on the heels of the conviction of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife last week in the Al-Qadir Trust case, in which Riaz and his son are also co-accused and proclaimed criminals. While PTI and legal experts pointed out the need for all those involved to be held accountable, Tarar had said consultations were being held on how to bring back the other fugitives.
A day ago, the NAB, saying it would seek Riaz’s extradition, claimed it was carrying out investigations against him and his associates for “fraud, deceptive practices and misleading the general public”.
In a televised speech today, Tarar recalled the NAB press release, quoting the accountability watchdog as saying it had concrete evidence in those investigations.
Noting that Riaz and his son had been declared fugitives, Tarar emphasized that if both had been able to defend themselves in court, they would have done so in the Al-Qadir Trust case and other investigations.
“They (Riaz and his son) should appear in court and present their defense, something they have not done so far.”
He said, “The NAB press release says that there are more cases going on in this… One of them is Takht-Pari, a locality in Rawalpindi, in which there is a case of illegal acquisition and illegal housing society and accumulation of billions from the public. .”
The minister added: “Not appearing before the court, escaping its proceedings and not presenting any evidence or proof in his defense there. […]. The property has also been seized previously and more will be done, according to the NAB press release.”
The minister said further legal action should be taken in the cases against the property tycoon.
“There should be no consideration of who has what position or how much power, or who has how much money.”
Emphasizing that the NAB worked in accordance with the law without any bias, the minister asserted that the bureau was taking “credible action” in this regard.
“This is the first time that the NAB [taken action against] such influential people and we proceeded against them based on evidence and in compliance with legal requirements.”
Tarar highlighted: “Not only the money from Takht-Pari but also from the Malir Development Authority, which was to be paid out of that 190 million pounds, was also to be paid to the government of Sindh or the people of Pakistan.”
The information minister said it was “very strange that despite the press release issued by NAB, the real estate tycoon was launching projects in Dubai”, referring to a luxury apartment project recently launched by Bahria Town Limited, owned by Riaz.
Riaz, who was no stranger to Pakistan’s power corridors before his fall from grace, is currently in the United Arab Emirates where he plans to develop ‘Bahria Town Dubai’, a luxury housing project that also came under scrutiny in the NAB statement.
Tarar highlighted that according to the anti-corruption watchdog, any money invested in the Dubai project would amount to money laundering.
He also claimed that the UK had recently canceled the visas of Riaz and his son, which he said was “not possible without criminal proceedings”.
The minister reiterated that funds intended for the government were instead used to pay an “already existing fine” in the Supreme Court. He repeated allegations of several cash and other transactions made between Imran and Riaz as part of a deal, calling them “undeniable evidence”.
‘Malik Riaz will not testify’
On the other hand, Riaz described the NAB’s action against him as a “new demand for blackmail”.
“This was my decision yesterday and this is my decision today, no matter how much they oppress me, Malik Riaz will not testify!” said the real estate magnate on his X account.
“Malik Riaz will not be used against anyone nor will he be blackmailed by anyone. God willing, the Dubai project will be successful and will become a symbol of Pakistan all over the world, including Dubai,” he said.
Referring to yesterday’s NAB press release, Riaz stated: “Today’s deplorable NAB press release is actually a new blackmail demand. I resist, but I sit with a storm in my heart. If this is broken, then everyone’s dream will come true.
“Let’s not forget that all the secrets of the last 25/30 years are safe with evidence,” he added.
“I want to mention in clear terms that years of blackmail, false cases and greed of officials could not deter me, but due to my main stance of refusing to be a witness (political pawn), I had to move abroad,” he said. stated the real estate magnate.
Recalling the “obstacles at every step” to doing business in Pakistan, Riaz said numerous official impediments and blackmail sometimes created delays in fulfilling promises made to its members.
While NAB had yesterday warned the public against investing in its Dubai project, Riaz claimed that “investors from dozens of countries have come to Dubai and are showing exemplary interest in the BT.” [Bahria Town] Property project.
“The secret of Dubai’s development is the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the absence of an institution like NAB,” he joked.
“With the determination that our life and death were and will always be for Pakistan, we assure our Pakistani brothers and sisters that we have respected the laws of all countries of the world, including Pakistan, and will always continue to do so.” he stated.
Last week, Imran and his wife were sentenced in the £190 million case involving the Al-Qadir Trust.
In its reference against Imran, the NAB had alleged that the then cabinet approved a confidential deed in 2019 to return 190 million pounds (seized by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and returned to Pakistan) to real estate tycoon Malik Riaz.
The office had said that Imran and Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land of hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town to legalize the money.
According to the reference, Riaz’s son Ali transferred 240 kanal of land to Farhat Shahzadi, while Zulfi Bukhari received land under a trust, which, according to NAB, did not exist at the time of the transfer.
Bukhari, a close aide of Imran Khan, recently claimed that authorities offered him lucrative deals to testify against the PTI founder in the case, but he refused.
“Anyone whose name is involved in this case was offered all kinds of deals (to testify) against Imran Khan. Luckily, none of them accepted that offer, neither the businessman nor me,” he said. the independent.
