FIA summons Moonis Elahi again on June 23 as he fails to ‘satisfy’ interrogators

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader and son of Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for questioning on June 23 when he failed to satisfy the interrogators in the money laundering case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

According to the copy of the questionnaire as well as the answers given by Moonis to the FIA, available with City42, the suspect was asked whether he knew Mazhar Abbas and Nawaz Bhatti, two other persons nominated in the case; whether he knew Punjab Assembly (PA) Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti; and if he knew all of them then how the PA secretary was related to Nawaz Bhatti and Mazhar Abbas.

Similarly, Moonis was asked had he ever met with Wajid Khan, nephew of PA Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti; did he have any information that both Nawaz Bhatti and Mazhar Abbas were government employees or his family had ever played any role in the appointment of Mazhar.

Likewise, the question was put to him about the nature of his relationship with Umer Shehryar; whether it was personal or related to business. 

Moonis replied that he had come to know about the money laundering case against him through media reports. 

He denied that he had ever been involved in any financial embezzlement, and that all the allegations levelled against him were false, fabricated and baseless. “All my assets are declared in the tax returns I submit to the Income Tax department,” he said, adding that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had already probed his assets. 

He insisted that he had never violated the law while purchasing shares in the Rahim Yar Khan Sugar Mills and that he did not know either Mazhar Abbas or Muhammad Nawaz Bhatti. “Similarly, I don’t have any idea what was the relation between Mazhar, Nawaz and Umer Shehryar,” he claimed. Earlier on Thursday, Moonis Elahi appeared in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Punjab Zone, Lahore’s office to answer the money laundering charges levelled against him. Former federal minister Liaquat Abbas Bhatti, MPA Khadeeja Farooqi, MPA Samina Khawar Hayyat, Saira Naseem and a large number of party workers accompanied him to the office to show their solidarity.  

A questionnaire was handed to him on the occasion in which he was asked whether he knew Nawaz Bhatti and Mazhar Iqbal; his association with Rahim Yar Khan Sugar Mills; how Makhdoom Umar Shehryar had managed to obtain mills’ license way back in 2007; what he knew about Casecade and Axes capital companies; what was his relation with two other persons nominated in the case namely Muhammad Khan Bhatti and Wajid Khan, and did he have any knowledge about the purchase of shares in the Rahim Yar Khan Sugar Mills in 2013-14?     

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had yesterday (Wednesday, June 15, 2022) registered a money laundering case against Moonis Elahi.

It was learnt that the FIA Corporate Crime Circle registered the case against Moonis  on the report of sugar inquiry commission.

The FIA sources said that ‘sufficient evidence’ was collected against Moonis after which the agency decided to formally start an investigation against him. He was accused of sending money abroad through “Hundi”.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Speaker of Punjab Assembly and father of Moonis Elahi, will also be investigated if evidence is found against him, the sources added.

Moreover, Muhammad Khan Bhatti, Wajid Ahmed Khan Bhatti, Nawaz Bhatti, and Mazhar Iqbal have also been nominated in the case.

Two of the nominated accused namely Nawaz Bhatti and Mazhar Iqbal have been arrested.

Reporter: Irfan Malik