SC orders to constitute JIT in fake account case

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered to constitute a joint investigation team (JIT) in fake account case and the name of investigation team members will be announced an right time. Rejecting the plea seeking transfer of investigation in Islamabad, the apex court directed that the probe will be conducted in Karachi. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard a case pertaining to money laundering of Rs35 billion from fake bank accounts. "We are forming a JIT and it will submit a report on the matter every 15 days," the chief justice said during the hearing. However, the apex court ordered to provide security for the JIT members. "Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is former president and he can get again the chance for making government. So he should say himself for making the JIT," the CJP remarked during the hearing. The chief justice remarked that this matter is related to the fraud of billion rupees, adding that "we should form the JIT to probe this matter." Following this, Abdul Ghani Majeed’s counsel Shahid Hamid said that prisoner Anwar Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed has kept in the isolation. However, Justice Nisar remarked that they were not kept in isolation, adding that he has seen many things during his visit to the sub-jail. In conversation with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, the CJP Nisar said that whenever the FIA DG arrests anyone to record statement, that person falls ill. The Chief justice directed to conduct the check up of Anwar Majeed and Abdul Ghani Majeed from Islamabad and summoned the medical report of Abdul Ghani Majeed. Meanwhile, The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested last month in connection with the probe. The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed and his son, Abdul Ghani, were also arrested by FIA earlier this month. Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.