Islamabad (Web Desk): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Friday said that the verdict in £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case is in accordance with the law and based on merit.
Talking to the media persons alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar outside parliament house in Islamabad today (Friday), he said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder failed to prove his innocence in the case.
The minister said that the defense team's approach had been politically motivated, rather than presenting any concrete evidence to dispute the prosecution's claims.
He pointed out that the judge’s ruling had noted the defense's inability to counter the substantial evidence laid out by the prosecution.
According to Tarar, the case, one of the largest corruption scandals in Pakistan, involved serious charges of bribery, misuse of power, and corruption, all of which were substantiated during the trial.
He also suggested that the PTI attempted to deflect attention from the case by bringing religion into the matter, a strategy that he argued was typical of the party.
The minister claimed that a house in Lahore’s Zaman Park had been built using funds that had been seized by the UK’s National Crime Agency, further tying the funds to alleged corrupt practices.
He further alleged that the Al-Qadir Trust was a front for laundering money gained through bribery and corruption.
Despite the defense's right to appeal, Tarar stated that they would need to prove that no illegal activities took place, including the use of confiscated money to build the house in Lahore.
He also criticized the process through which the seized funds were returned to Pakistan, only to be handed back to the very individual from whom they had been confiscated.
The information minister asserted that the charges of corruption, bribery, and misuse of authority were undeniable, and that the conviction was based on merit, following all legal procedures.
He emphasized that experts, including respected lawyers and neutral analysts, had confirmed that the verdict was sound and in accordance with the law. Furthermore, he stated that the documents from Pakistan’s Asset Recovery Unit, headed by Shahzad Akbar, explicitly showed that the £190 million had been recovered from the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Speaking on the occasion, Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said Al-Qadir Trust case is an open and shut case.
He reiterated that the volume of corruption in the Al-Qadir Trust case was extraordinary and required swift legal action.
