AG Majeed, Hussain Lawai's order for Karachi jail transfer revoked after PM expresses anger

LAHORE: The Punjab home department on Monday revoked an order to shift Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed’s son, Abdul Ghani Majeed, and former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai, to Karachi jail from Rawalpindi after Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed anger over the move.

On January 31, the Punjab home department had granted permission to shift AG Majeed and Lawai, who are currently under arrest in the ongoing money laundering probe, to Karachi’s Malir jail from Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

The Punjab home department had granted permission on the request of the Sindh government. The Sindh home department had requested that AG Majeed and Lawai be shifted to Malir jail as a banking court in Karachi is hearing a case against them. Requesting their transfer from Adiala jail, the Sindh home department had urged that the two be shifted to Malir jail till the case in the bank court is concluded.

However, when the prime minister during a recent visit to Lahore was apprised regarding the development, he expressed dissatisfaction and said that both the suspects should be treated as per the law. Following this, the provincial home department revoked its order.

The case

The FIA is investigating 32 people in relation to money laundering from fictitious accounts, including Zardari and Talpur. Zardari’s close aide Hussain Lawai was arrested in July in connection with the probe.

The former president’s other close aide and Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed a close aide and Omni Group chairman and his son, Abdul Ghani, were arrested by FIA in August.

Over 20 ‘benami’ accounts at some private banks were opened in 2013, 2014 and 2015 from where transactions worth billions of rupees were made, according to sources.

The amount, according to FIA sources, is said to be black money gathered from various kickbacks, commissions and bribes.