On Friday, it was reported by National Accountability Bureau Deputy Director Mian Umar Nadeem that Farah Shehzadi acted as the intermediary for former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in a £190 million corruption case.
According to Nadeem’s report, the cabinet had approved the creation of a Recovery Unit to repatriate foreign assets. Under the direction of then-adviser to the PM on accountability, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, secret letters were sent to the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) country manager. The NCA also obtained freezing orders to prevent the movement of illicit funds.
Nadeem’s statement, given before the accountability court on July 30, revealed that he was authorized to investigate the case on December 7, 2022, with the investigation commencing on April 28, 2023.
The report detailed that between April 4 and April 30, 2019, a private town purchased 458 kanals, 4 marlas, and 58 square feet of land, which was later transferred to Al-Qadir Trust University by the accused Zulfiqar Bukhari. Following the land transfer, Bukhari, Mirza, and Malik Riaz met with the founding chairman.
It was alleged that 240 kanals (30 acres) of land in Mohra Noor, Islamabad was “fraudulently” transferred to Farah Shehzadi’s name, purportedly on behalf of Al-Qadir Trust. However, the PTI founder and Bibi “failed” to provide proof of the land sale.
The report further claimed that on July 11, 2019, a note highlighting “mala fide intentions” was addressed to the PTI founder regarding the land’s ownership. This note was subsequently presented to the cabinet on December 3, 2019, in a sealed envelope and approved with insistence.
Additionally, it was noted that the Trust Deed, witnessed by Ziaul Mustafa Naseem, was signed without consulting the ministries of finance, foreign affairs, and law. The trust was later revised to include the PTI founder, Bibi, and Bukhari as members. The report also mentioned that Bushra Bibi signed an “Acknowledgement of Gift” document on March 24, 2021, further implicating her in the alleged land fraud.
