FIA books Shaukat Tarin under PECA Act over leaked audio

The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing on Monday booked former finance minister Shaukat Tarin under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over a leaked audio. Subsequently, it also registered an FIR and booked Tarin under clauses 124-A and 505, reported Aaj News.

In August 2022, two leaked audios, allegedly containing conversations between Tarin and then Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) finance minister Taimur Jhagra and then Punjab finance minister Mohsin Leghari, appeared to reveal a plot by the three participants to sabotage the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme that resumed in mid-2022. In March 2022, the loan scheme was stalled after the then leadership announced subsidy on fuel and electricity prices.

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Speaking to Aaj News, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Mussarat Jamshed Cheema lamented “the latest move of the government”, adding that Pakistan reported 6% growth when Tarin was finance minister.

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“He upheld the economy during Covid-19 and boosted well-being. He is a success story for Imran Khan’s government,” she said.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that the government had permitted the FIA to arrest the former finance minister in the case related to his alleged role in derailing the crucial IMF deal, Aaj News reported.

Background

In the audios leaked in August 2022, Tarin can be purportedly heard ordering the two ministers to write a letter to IMF aimed to block the disbursement of $1.1 billion tranche after the end of 7th and 8th review of Pakistan’s economy.

Prior to that, Jhagra had written a letter to the Ministry of Finance conveying the same. In the audio, Leghari can be allegedly heard opting out from wrtting that letter.

The FIA then issued a notice to Tarin, saying that an inquiry had been initiated against him on the basis of the alleged audio call to Jhagra.

Reportedly, the FIA completed a preliminary inquiry into Tarin’s audio leaks and sought approval from the interior ministry to initiate legal proceedings against him, leading to his arrest.