Zulfi Bukhari not cooperating with investigators: NAB

[Champion_Usmani]

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has said Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari alias Zulfi Bukhari was not cooperating with the investigators probing a case related to his alleged illegitimate assets.

NAB on Monday submitted its reply to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in reply to petition filed by Mr Bukhari seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

The bureau stated: “The respondent (NAB) has initiated the inquiry proceeding against the petitioner as per mandate of law, to probe into allegations of corruption and corrupt practices under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999.”

Special Prosecutor NAB Imran Shafique appeared before the court and informed Justice Aamer Farooq that the interior ministry on the request of NAB had placed Mr Bukhari on the ECL on Aug 4 since he was facing an inquiry for accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

“The petitioner intentionally avoided appearance before the investigation officer and concealed himself from the inquiry proceedings.”

The reply said since there were “strong apprehensions of his abscondance, NAB recommended to the Ministry of Interior for placing the petitioner on the ECL in order to ensure his attendance in the inquiry proceedings.”

Regarding the ongoing inquiry, the reply said: “Consequent upon revelation of Panama Papers, various allegations leveled that the petitioner in connivance with others has established various offshore companies in the British Virgin Island (BVI).”

It said the chairman NAB had authorised an inquiry on Jan 15 to probe into allegations against the petitioner and unearth the element of corruption in establishment of companies in BVI.

“The petitioner along with his family members own companies namely K Factor, Broadbury, Baytech Limited, Bayla Trading, Poieim Trading and Genstam Trading Limited incorporated in the BVI since 2006 onward. These companies established in the BVI have not been declared or reported to the concerned authorities in Pakistan.”

The bureau said Mr Bukhari “did not cooperate with NAB by knowingly and willfully not joining the inquiry proceedings even after issuance of four summons.”

Mr Bukhari in his petition adopted that he “is a British citizen of Pakistani origin…and is currently at Islamabad…his spouse and children are domiciled [in UK] from where his business interests are managed.”

The petition said that Mr Bukhari was cooperating with the investigation team but “was shocked and dismayed to learn” that he was placed on the ECL.

The petition said Section 3 of the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance 1981 provided for a right of review for any order made by the federal government. However, such a review only creates an illusory remedy.

Interestingly, Mr Bukhari criticised his own government as the petition said: “The petitioner filed a representation and review petition…despite passage of about two months, the review petition of the petitioner has neither been put up for the cabinet, nor decision has been taken thereon by the federal government.”

It requested the court to direct the interior ministry to remove his name from the ECL.

The IHC adjourned further hearing on the petition to Nov 27.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2018

https://www.dawn.com/news/1446623/zulfi-bukhari-not-cooperating-with-investigators-nab

@Maarkhoor @CIS-TRANS @Major Sam @Canuck786 @Norwegian @BATMAN @Jinn Baba @Tameem @SmartGeek @volatile @Proudpakistaniguy @MUSTAKSHAF

 

[Champion_Usmani]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064547410200985600

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064730133305745408

 

[maithil]

He does not need to cooperate with NAB. He is "laadla" of The "Laadla".

 

[Champion_Usmani]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1064770605537476608

 

[313ghazi]

It sets a bad tone. Babar Awan resigned because he was being investigated and we all praised him for it. Janghir Tareen accepted the SC verdict. Who is Zulfi Bukhari? He is nobody special and should be told to cooperate fully or resign from government.

 

[Sine Nomine]

 

[Jinn Baba]

Patwaris making another issue where there is no issue. Please try and remember:

Zulfi Bukhari is not in government...oh wait!

He's highly qualified and at least he wasn't hired because of nepotism...oh wait!

I know - unlike Noora, IK will not let his friend off or fly out of Pakistan when he's on ECL - oh wait.

Ok - the government hasn't even completed 3 months in power, give them time - oh wait.

Screw you patwari! Maryam Nawaz must be paying you extra these days. Don't you know that IK is trying to fight corruption and tax evasion by hiring experts in the field who know how to evade tax and not disclose their assets and income

 

[Wa Muhammada]

View attachment 520581

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has said Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari alias Zulfi Bukhari was not cooperating with the investigators probing a case related to his alleged illegitimate assets.

NAB on Monday submitted its reply to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in reply to petition filed by Mr Bukhari seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

The bureau stated: “The respondent (NAB) has initiated the inquiry proceeding against the petitioner as per mandate of law, to probe into allegations of corruption and corrupt practices under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999.”

Special Prosecutor NAB Imran Shafique appeared before the court and informed Justice Aamer Farooq that the interior ministry on the request of NAB had placed Mr Bukhari on the ECL on Aug 4 since he was facing an inquiry for accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

“The petitioner intentionally avoided appearance before the investigation officer and concealed himself from the inquiry proceedings.”

The reply said since there were “strong apprehensions of his abscondance, NAB recommended to the Ministry of Interior for placing the petitioner on the ECL in order to ensure his attendance in the inquiry proceedings.”

Regarding the ongoing inquiry, the reply said: “Consequent upon revelation of Panama Papers, various allegations leveled that the petitioner in connivance with others has established various offshore companies in the British Virgin Island (BVI).”

It said the chairman NAB had authorised an inquiry on Jan 15 to probe into allegations against the petitioner and unearth the element of corruption in establishment of companies in BVI.

“The petitioner along with his family members own companies namely K Factor, Broadbury, Baytech Limited, Bayla Trading, Poieim Trading and Genstam Trading Limited incorporated in the BVI since 2006 onward. These companies established in the BVI have not been declared or reported to the concerned authorities in Pakistan.”

The bureau said Mr Bukhari “did not cooperate with NAB by knowingly and willfully not joining the inquiry proceedings even after issuance of four summons.”

Mr Bukhari in his petition adopted that he “is a British citizen of Pakistani origin…and is currently at Islamabad…his spouse and children are domiciled [in UK] from where his business interests are managed.”

The petition said that Mr Bukhari was cooperating with the investigation team but “was shocked and dismayed to learn” that he was placed on the ECL.

The petition said Section 3 of the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance 1981 provided for a right of review for any order made by the federal government. However, such a review only creates an illusory remedy.

Interestingly, Mr Bukhari criticised his own government as the petition said: “The petitioner filed a representation and review petition…despite passage of about two months, the review petition of the petitioner has neither been put up for the cabinet, nor decision has been taken thereon by the federal government.”

It requested the court to direct the interior ministry to remove his name from the ECL.

The IHC adjourned further hearing on the petition to Nov 27.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2018

https://www.dawn.com/news/1446623/zulfi-bukhari-not-cooperating-with-investigators-nab

@Maarkhoor @CIS-TRANS @Major Sam @Canuck786 @Norwegian @BATMAN @Jinn Baba @Tameem @SmartGeek @volatile @Proudpakistaniguy @MUSTAKSHAF

Sorry for my ignorance but he is a British national - does NAB have powers to investigate him? Especially if his assets and business operations are overseas. I’m not a PTI supporter but I still have not found why NAB is after him

Plz enlighten me

Patwaris making another issue where there is no issue. Please try and remember:

Zulfi Bukhari is not in government...oh wait!

He's highly qualified and at least he wasn't hired because of nepotism...oh wait!

I know - unlike Noora, IK will not let his friend off or fly out of Pakistan when he's on ECL - oh wait.

Ok - the government hasn't even completed 3 months in power, give them time - oh wait.

Screw you patwari! Maryam Nawaz must be paying you extra these days. Don't you know that IK is trying to fight corruption and tax evasion by hiring experts in the field who know how to evade tax and not disclose their assets and income

Bro,

I think the situation requires us to look at these cases objectively.

I am not a fan of any of the 3 major political parties in Pakistan.

Some of Imran Khans appointments have made me scratch my head. Zulfi Bukhari (payback for his financial contributions?), Babar Awan (we all know he’s a corrupt a/hole), Usman Buzdaar (WTF?) ... I could go on but I honestly think IK has made some huge blunders in appointments of Ministers.

However I pray for Pakistan that this govt sorts itself out

 

[The Accountant]

It is insane ... I wonder how Jahil our Awam and NAB is ... This guy is living outside Pakistan since ages ... He has all his business outside Pakistan so how can he declare his property in Pakistan when he is non-resident (non-resident is a legal term for the persons not required to file income tax returns as they spend more than 180 days outside the country) ... He is citizen of pakistan but not doing any business here so he can't file income tax return, he can't disclose properties and he can't be sued in Pakistan for any tax evasion (if any) done in UK ...

So tomorrow if Shahid Khan's (the richest Pakistani in UK) name appears in any international scandal and he visits Pakistan then will you put his name on ECL ?

Common guys have some senses ...

For income earned in UK he is reportable to UK unless he starts living in Pakistan ... And even if he starts living in Pakistan we cannot tax him for income earned earlier ...

 

[Salahuddin Ayyubi]

Where are the PTI fan boys defenders now [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji85]

 

[Norwegian]

Where are the PTI fan boys defenders now [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji85]

They are here. They can't defend this

 

[The Accountant]

Where are the PTI fan boys defenders now [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji85]

Read my above post carefully and think about it ... consider yourself a US national living in Pakistan for 3 decades and a newspaper shows that you are have assets unknown to US ... on one of your casual visits to US on vacation they try to arrest you on grounds that you have not disclosed your assets in US ... what will you do ?

I think You will say f**k off retard US nationality ... i will never come back again ... they are retards ...

 

[Salahuddin Ayyubi]

They are here. They can't defend this

Good. Humility and acceptance while also refusing the defend a clear wrongful act is greatly commendable in my books.

 

[Jinn Baba]

Read my above post carefully and think about it ... consider yourself a US national living in Pakistan for 3 decades and a newspaper shows that you are have assets unknown to US ... on one of your casual visits to US on vacation they try to arrest you on grounds that you have not disclosed your assets in US ... what will you do ?

I think You will say f**k off retard US nationality ... i will never come back again ... they are retards ...

Very bad example. Here is a more accurate one:

A dual UK/Pak citizen who has been appointed at a post equivalent to a Federal Minister in the Pakistan refuses to disclose his assets or cooperate with a Pakistani federal government investigative authority when asked to explain the source of his money/assets and whether the same originated from the UK or Pakistan.

To add to insult - this man is part of a political party and government that claims that it's biggest priority is to target people like himself - who have large funds in offshore accounts and fail to evidence the origins of those funds.

What do u say to such a man? Or do you continue to make wxcuses on his behalf because he happens to be from a party that you support?

Sorry for my ignorance but he is a British national - does NAB have powers to investigate him? Especially if his assets and business operations are overseas. I’m not a PTI supporter but I still have not found why NAB is after him

Plz enlighten me

He holds a government post - equivalent to that of a Federal Minister; and this is what NAB is trying to investigate:

"Following orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Zulfiqar Bukhari appeared before a Combined Investigation Team (CIT) at NAB’s Rawalpindi office on Monday to explain his position on allegedly establishing six offshore companies in UK and to further explain if all the companies had been established with money transferred from Pakistan or if he had earned that money in the UK as he had earlier claimed to not have sent any money abroad.
...
Speaking of the questionnaire, sources said that CIT has sought a response over questions like how he established the offshore companies [from where did he obtain the needed funds]."

Source: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/20...nd-zulfi-bukhari-in-offshore-companies-probe/

 

[The Accountant]

Very bad example. Here is a more accurate one:

A dual UK/Pak citizen who has been appointed at a post equivalent to a Federal Minister in the Pakistan refuses to disclose his assets or cooperate with a Pakistani federal government investigative authority when asked to explain the source of his money/assets and whether the same originated from the UK or Pakistan.

To add to insult - this man is part of a political party and government that claims that it's biggest priority is to target people like himself - who have large funds in offshore accounts and fail to evidence the origins of those funds.

What do u say to such a man? Or do you continue to make wxcuses on his behalf because he happens to be from a party that you support?

Thats incorrect fact ... He was asked about assets first and appointed on the position later on ... At the time he was appointed he had no source of income from Pakistan and all the life he spent was abroad ...

Now as he is appointed as advisor, now onwards his income from Pakistan will be taxable in Pakistan and he will disclose all his assets at the time of filling of his future tax returns in Pakistan ...

By the way I don't know why you can't read simple english .... He is just asking for removal of his name from ECL ... Whats the logic behind putting a name on ECL at the time when he was not in any position or did not own any business in Pakistan ?

"Following orders of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Zulfiqar Bukhari appeared before a Combined Investigation Team (CIT) at NAB’s Rawalpindi office on Monday to explain his position on allegedly establishing six offshore companies in UK and to further explain if all the companies had been established with money transferred from Pakistan or if he had earned that money in the UK as he had earlier claimed to not have sent any money abroad.
...
Speaking of the questionnaire, sources said that CIT has sought a response over questions like how he established the offshore companies [from where did he obtain the needed funds]."

Source: https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/20...nd-zulfi-bukhari-in-offshore-companies-probe/

He is appearing in front of investigation team so what's the issue ? But should we keep his name on ECL ? whereas he was on casual visit to Pakistan and even his appointment as advisor he has to be working with overseas Pakistani ... What sane logic is this ?