Three men reject Moussavi’s claim
LONDON: The three people, who Broadsheet CEO Kaveh Moussavi claimed to have acted on behalf of the Pakistani government on a possible new assets recovery deal for Pakistan, have accused Moussavi of lying, making willful misrepresentations and offering a cut of $2 million in exchange for getting around $29 million from the government for Broadsheet – nearly $29 million that Pakistan owed to the assets recovery firm.
The News and Geo have seen a legal paper in which three people -- Barrister Zafar Ali QC, Dr Kersten Pucks, Management Consultant, and Shaid Iqbal, Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England Wales, categorically rejected the allegations, made against them in the 13-page document prepared by Broadsheet CEO Kaveh Moussavi’s lawyers at Cromwell and Moring LLP, published widely on media.
The legal paper says that Dr Pucks is so incensed about Moussavi’s allegations that he has indicated his intention to bring legal action against Kaveh Moussavi. The legal paper contains the copy of several messages between Kaveh Moussavi, the Broadsheet CEO and Zafar Ali QC.
As a reminder, the 13-page “2019 Moussavi document” that this correspondent had exclusively reported — with Geo and The News Washington reporter Wajid Ali Syed — on May 12, 2019 revealed that a delegation from the UK met the prime minister and his cabinet members to discuss a proposal to recover stolen assets abroad. Last week, after Broadsheet won a nearly $65 million case from Pakistan, the contents of the “Moussavi document” caused sensation across the Pakistani media.
In their legal paper title “Declaration of Facts” the trio claims that until the end of December 2018, Kaveh Moussavi repeatedly made offers of money to Zafar Ali QC to approach the Pakistan government and persuade them to pay Broadsheet but Zafar Ali rejected the commission offers and repeatedly stated in no uncertain terms that he had not been instructed by Pakistan.
Zafar Ali QC, Dr Pucks and Shahid Iqbal rejected the “Moussavi document” as making misrepresentations and omitting significant messages from Moussavi and, pertinently, Zafar Ali’s responses to them.
The legal paper confirms that Zafar Ali QC had been approached by the incoming Pakistani administration to discuss options for a new recovery programme. Subsequently, Zafar Ali QC and Dr Kersten Pucks drafted an asset recovery proposal to recover “the largest amount of stolen funds by basing the asset recovery programme outside Pakistan to separate it from the political process, so that no individual would be exempted from investigation”.
Zafar Ali and Shaid Iqbal visited Pakistan on the invitation of media personality and businessman Mohsin Beg and met PM Khan, Asad Umar, Shahzad Iqbal, the attorney general and the law minister to discuss their proposal.
The document claims that at the meeting, the PM made it clear he wanted to pursue recovery of all stolen money, regardless of political affiliation. The document stated that “there were no meetings at which Mr. Ali put the proposal forward to a member of the intelligence services or armed forces”.
According to the Declaration of Facts, Mr. Ali and Dr Pucks wanted to access the “vast amount of relevant information on stolen assets that Moussavi claimed to possess and actively encouraged Moussavi to share such information”.
The legal paper alleges that during their meetings with Moussavi, it became apparent that Moussavi’s primary interest in engaging was “his hope to connect it to his long-standing pursuit of recovering billions of dollars in claims against the Pakistani government for his company, Broadsheet”.
The legal paper also says: “Mr. Ali and Dr. Pucks soon began to have concerns that the information and skills Mr. Moussavi claimed to have were exaggerated. In addition, some of Mr. Moussavi’s claims became increasingly exaggerated and difficult to believe. He talked about having sold part of his Broadsheet interest to a hedge funds for "billions of dollars" and bragged about his ability to ground Pakistani aircraft if the Broadsheet debt was not settled "within a week". Mr. Ali and Dr. Pucks became increasingly concerned and uncomfortable about such claims and a result of these growing concerns, Mr. Ali and Dr. Pucks stopped engaging with Mr. Moussavi towards the end of 2018. The proposal was not accepted by the Pakistan government and the matter went no further.”
The central complaint of the three, against Mr Moussavi, is the claim in his 2019 paper that Mr. Ali acted on behalf of the Pakistan government to settle his historic Broadsheet claims. They categorically state that they repeatedly stressed Mr Ali did not represent Pakistan in any shape; that they themselves were pitching a mandate from the Pakistani government to recover assets; that they had not been awarded such mandate; and they were not in a position to even discuss Broadsheet issues with the Pakistani authorities; and they stress that there are multiple witnesses for their position.
Here below are some corroborating messages between Mr. Ali and Mr. Moussavi: Kaveh to Zafar Ali on 03 March 2018: “My award will be over a billion. If you settle it at that level I will turn over 100 million Dollars to you to set up the operation or do whatever it is they want done to fight corruption.
Kaveh to Zafar Ali on 24 December 2018: “You could make some quick retirement money out of this situation.”
Kaveh to Zafar Ali on 25 December 2018: “I can get you two million Dollars immediately if you show NAB that they can overcome the jeopardy they are facing with the continuing saga and get them to ask their lawyers to vacate the hearing on the 31st and instead come into a consented settlement at $50 million before 31st. You and I can then go forward with both the Sharif bank account in Singapore and South Africa and Mexico.”
Zafar Ali’s response to Kaveh Moussavi:
25 December 2018: “I have not been formally instructed Kaveh, the Pakistanis (as you know) are notoriously slow in everything they do. If, and indeed when I am instructed (and depending on in which capacity) ten I can address the matters you raise.”
Kaveh Moussavi to Zafar Ali QC:
27 December 2018: “There is two million Dollars in this for you. Put your thinking cap on.”
27 December 2018: “And we will certainly let the press know that the Chairman is engaged in high treason when he shows no interest in the Sharif money in the bank accounts that I have given you. Put your thinking cap on and you can retire.
27 December 2018: “Zafar, someone is going to ask the question very shortly “Chairman, isn’t it the case you were offered the details of Sharif accounts in Singapore and did not jump on it? Why not?
Zafar Ali to Kaveh Moussavi:
28 December 2018: “I am sure someone will. In the meantime, I am in Dubai on an actual case. The Pak Govt have not instructed me yet, and may not ever. It is difficult to understand what they do and why they do it frankly. Until and only if I am instructed am I doing to do anything? I have got to focus on my actual cases.”
Kaveh Moussavi responds: “Be an entrepreneur Zafar. Opportunities like this don’t knock on your door everyday. And if you become “instructed” I would be able to pay you! Try to leave this “instruction” BS (‘bullshit’) behind and move into the world where real money is made. Or have you given up on that? Your actual cases aren’t going to get you retirement this year.!!!”
Message from Kaveh Moussavi on 03 August 2018: “My award will be over a billion…otherwise I will be seizing aircraft etc and it will be an embarrassing start to this government.”
The News has already printed the txt messages contained in the “Moussavi document” in The News and Jang’s May 12, 2019 edition under the headline “Pakistan talked with Broadsheet to hire it again?”
LONDON: The three people, who Broadsheet CEO Kaveh Moussavi claimed to have acted on behalf of the Pakistani government on a possible new assets recovery deal for Pakistan, have accused Moussavi of...
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NAB-Broadsheet deal: Man who brokered $1.5m deal was facing NAB probe in 2007
ISLAMABAD: The man who brokered a deal between Pakistan's anti-graft body and Broadsheet is himself wanted to an accountability court in Peshawar.
The official record of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) exclusively made available with Geo News revealed that Tariq Fawad Malik was declared a proclaimed absconder by the accountability court-IV, Peshawar, in 2009. His non-bailable arrest warrants were issued by the judge after the accused fled abroad.
The anti-corruption watchdog started an inquiry against Tariq Fawad Malik in 2006, the year before he was pursuing a settlement between NAB and Broadsheet in 2007, arguing that the British firm will sue for damages if the bureau does not seal the deal.
After years of negotiation, the NAB administration made a settlement of $1.5 million to Tariq Fawad Malik and Jerry James in 2008. Tariq Fawad Malik and his wife looted the general public on the pretext of plots/houses in two dubious societies namely M/S Islamabad Chalets and M/S Islamabad Prairies, where they collected over Rs111 million in 2004, according to NAB official documents.
Perusal of official record revealed that "the evidence collected during the investigation established that the accused persons [Tariq Fawad Malik and his wife] deceitfully, dishonestly and fraudulently cheated public at large and embezzled an amount of Rs 111,035,700".
The judgment of Sir Anthony stated that Malik was amongst the signatories on the payment dated 20th May 2008 for £320,622 payable to Broadsheet Gibraltar, a misnomer. After the completion of inquiry and investigation, NAB filed a reference against Tariq Fawad Malik and his wife Ayesha Fawad Malik in 2009, which is still under trial in the Accountability Court-IV in Peshawar, according to official documents.
During the inquiry/investigation of the said reference, land owned by Tariq Fawad Malik was frozen by the competent authority vide order dated Sep 26, which was confirmed by the administrative judge, Accountability Court-I in Nov 2007.
The NAB investigation further revealed that Tariq Fawad Malik and his wife launched two housing schemes namely Islamabad Chalets in 2004 and Islamabad Prairies in 2005, where they selected for housing schemes Margalla Hills Islamabad, falling in the jurisdiction of District Haripur NWFP. As cheating and fraud was exposed through the media, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took suo moto action against the Islamabad Chalets Housing Scheme in the wake of massive destruction of the environment, which created panic amongst hundreds of affectees, who pumped millions of rupees in 2005, according to official documents.
"That on the appraisal of material and evidence placed before me, I am satisfied that it is just and proper to proceed further as there is sufficient incrimination material to justify the filing of this reference. It is prayed that the accused (Tariq Fawad Malik and his wife] be tried and punished in accordance with law," stated Director General NAB Peshwar Brig (retd) Farooq Naser Awan in his latest prayer filed before the NAB court Peshawar in April 2020.
As NAB was all set to arrest Tariq Fawad Malik in 2006-07, he fled to UAE in 2007, sources in NAB Peshawar said. NAB has been pursuing the trial against him in absentia and currently the case is under trial in an accountability court.
Tariq Fawad Malik executed a General Power of Attorney from Dubai in favour of his sister Dr Anees Kausar Malik in January 2010, which was later registered at Sub Registrar office, Islamabad, vide registered deed no 266, according to NAB documents.
Dr Anees Kausar Malik, having conscious knowledge of the freezing order of frozen property, illegally alienated the same vide mutation no 1,599 dated Feb 24, 2010, according to NAB. The then ADP NAB Jameel Khan confirmed to Geo News that Tariq Fawad Malik was facing a NAB reference and matter was still pending with the court. The NAB spokesperson, however, did not offer any comment on this issue to this correspondent. Tariq Fawad Malik did not respond to this correspondent till the filing of this story.
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ISLAMABAD: The man who brokered a deal between Pakistan's anti-graft body and Broadsheet is himself wanted to an accountability court in Peshawar.The official record of the National Accountability...
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