Ali Riaz and Bahria Town case: Cabinet to examine report on AFOs, funds return today

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet is all set to go through Cabinet committee’s report on Accounts Freezing Orders (AFOs) and repatriation of funds to Pakistan in Ali Riaz Malik and M/s Bahria Town (Private) Limited case on Tuesday (Aug 16).

In June, federal cabinet constituted a ministerial committee headed by Minister for Defence, Khawaja Asif to probe the beneficiaries of Rs 50 billion deal that was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government.

The committee will present its report to the Cabinet along with evidence of the previous government benefitting Malik Riaz and family, and subsequently a course of action will be proposed.

On June 15, 2022, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah categorically accused former prime minister Imran Khan’s government of corruption, claiming that it did not deposit an amount of Rs50 billion recovered from business tycoon Malik Riaz in the United Kingdom in the national exchequer.

Addressing a press conference along with Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the Interior Minister had stated that the matter between the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Malik Riaz will be brought up in the federal cabinet’s meeting on that day.

He shared that funds amounting to Rs50 billion under a private housing scheme were transferred to the UK illegally which was later confiscated by the UK’s NCA. He said that UK approached the Pakistani authorities after which the then-SAPM on Accountability Dr Shahzad Akbar managed the entire process and “settled the matter”. The Cabinet will be given presentation on implications of climate change in the country and way forward, the sources added.

Establishment of National University of Pakistan (NUP) Islamabad, assessment of value of 30, 360 grams of silver to determine the value of Diyat for financial year 2022-23, approval of increase in Maximum Retail Price (MRPs) of 35 drugs under hardship category as recommended by DPC are also agenda items of the cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet will also ratify the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet in its meeting held on July 28, 2022 and August 11, 2022.

The cabinet will also ratify the decisions taken by the Cabinet Committee on disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) in its meeting held on July 28, 2022.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022