PTI received $29,800 in donations from Indian national businesswoman: report

• PTI received $29,800 donations from Indian national businesswoman, says report.
• PTI foreign funding case reveals that ECP authorities were not informed of transactions totaling more than two million dollars.
  
• Significant portions of the report were withheld, including all of the documents and PTI bank statements. 
  

The State Bank of Pakistan's documents delivered to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in connection with the PTI foreign funding case reveal that the ECP authorities were not informed of transactions totaling more than two million dollars from 14 different foreign countries and hundreds of millions of rupees in domestic transactions into the party's bank accounts, The News reported Monday.

Additionally, according to the records, the PTI got $29,800 in donations in 2013 from an Indian national businesswoman and her Pakistani American husband, who also run a company registered in Mumbai, India. However, their donation was disguised from the ECP as well.

Foreign nationals are prohibited from donating to political parties under the Political Parties Order 2002. On January 4, 2022, the Election CP delivered the scrutiny committee report to the complainant, Akbar S. Babar. However, significant portions of the report were withheld, including all of the documents and PTI bank statements obtained for him by the State Bank of Pakistan. He was later informed of these documents and statements.

The documents requisitioned by the ECP through its letter dated July 3, 2018 included; "(1) list of all bank accounts maintained by PTI anywhere in Pakistan from 2009 to 2013, with date-wise details of transactions, (2) country-wise list of all fund transfers to the PTI accounts from abroad during 2009 to 2013, separately for each financial year, including names/particulars of remitters, and (3) monthly bank statements of all the accounts maintained /operated by PTI in Pakistan and abroad for each financial year, i.e. 2009 to 2013."

The SBP documents reveal that millions of dollars in transactions from 14 different countries, including Denmark, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Norway, and the UAE, were kept secret. Apart from this, information about hundreds of millions of rupees in local transactions was also not provided to ECP authorities.

The facts include the concealment of dozens of bank accounts maintained in Pakistan and abroad. From fiscal years 2008 to 2012, the party only revealed two accounts per year under the signatures of PTI Chairman Imran Khan, and in 2013, they revealed four PTI bank accounts before the ECP.Whereas, the record from the State Bank of Pakistan reveals that the PTI concealed five accounts in 2008, seven in 2009, thirteen in 2010, fourteen in 2011, and fourteen in 2012-13. The information about all PTI international bank accounts was not provided despite repeated orders from the ECP and the scrutiny committee, including six international accounts identified by the petitioner and conceded by the party.

The documents further show that apart from the above list, bank statements of another PTI account in the defunct KASB Bank Account (01135461001), revealed in the PTI Audit Report 2013 submitted before the ECP, were also kept secret. Neither the PTI nor the Scrutiny Committee shared the bank statements with the complainant as part of the State Bank record. It was revealed that a total of Rs 598.89 million was transferred from other PTI accounts to the bank account in KASB Bank Limited, Gulberg Branch, Lahore.

The scrutiny committee, in its order dated April 21, 2018, directed the PTI to submit all bank statements of its accounts related to "Disaster Fund, Party’s Fund, etc," but information about these accounts has still not been shared. An amount of PKR103,121,000 was sent to these unknown bank accounts from the accounts that were requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan.

According to the complainant Akbar S Babar, the PTI has also not shared a single bank statement from several of its bank accounts maintained abroad, even those identified and acknowledged by the PTI, which include; Bank of America Accounts maintained by PTI in the USA for PTI NA LLC No. 5975 and 6160: (488037228011, 488028507602, and 488037228024), PTI Canada-CIBC Bank Account No. 228428706, PTI Australia-Insaf Australia Incorporated (Australian Business Number 45838549859) from the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited) bank account number 00102012397479527102, PTI UK Lloyds Bank (Sort Code 30-92-90), Account Number 00191424 and Account Number 26675768.

Sources confide that the documents requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan reveal that the PTI also did not share with the ECP details about donations received from 14 countries, including USD2,121,500, or over two million US dollars, from an offshore company registered in the Cayman Islands (Wootton Cricket Limited) and USD49,965 from Bristol Engineering Services of the UAE.

As per the SBP released documents, Nasser Aziz Ahmad, a Pakistani American, and his Indian origin American wife, contributed $27,500 to PTI. On April 24, 2013, the couple donated $25,000 to party funds, and then again on April 30, 2013, they gave another $2,500 to the PTI. The documents further reveal that the party received another amount of $2,300 through PTI UBL Account FRA 29 from the couple. The bank documents clearly show that both Nasser and his wife, Romita Shetty, contributed $29,800 to PTI. However, it was concealed by the party and not shared with the ECP.

Clause 6(3) of the Political Parties Order 2002 forbids political parties from accepting donations from foreign nationals."Any contribution made, directly or indirectly, by any foreign government, multi-national or domestically incorporated public or private company, firm, trade or professional association shall be prohibited and the parties may accept contributions and donations only from individuals."

Nasser is a co-founder of DA Capital, an asset management firm in New York. Prior to co-founding DA Capital, Nasser served in senior positions at different hedge funds and financial institutions like Credit Suisse. Similarly, his wife, Romita Shetty, has a financial management background and has served in various financial institutions in senior positions.

They both own a company, Ahimsa Hospitality Limited, a company registered in Mumbai, India. According to the company profile, it has more than INR 107 million in paid-up capital. There are a total of five directors in the company, which includes two Indian nationals, an American, Nasser Aziz, and Mrs Romita Shetty. Apart from this, both Nasser and Romita Shetty run a family charity foundation named after both of them, which generously donates to different welfare projects.

When contacted, sources close to Nasser's family told The News that his wife, Romita Shetty, had nothing to do with this donation. The contribution was made by Nasser alone. About the hospitality company registered in India, a source close to the family said, "They are involved in investments all over the world." That particular company was a restaurant franchise in India. "

When contacted, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib, said he could not hear this scribe properly and asked to send him a written questionnaire. Upon receiving written queries, he called back and said the figure of 65 accounts was not correct.

"Our party has already submitted its response to the ECP. The scrutiny committee has misunderstood the bank account while cumulating the total number of accounts. There were a total of 18 bank accounts for the party, and the number quoted in the scrutiny committee report was incorrect.

"There were some accounts that had no links with central accounts. They were not used for fund collection, "replied Farrukh Habib.

Talking about any donation from an Indian American, he said if there was any donation made by any Indian national, the party would duly respond to the ECP. He commented, "We are answerable for only those amounts that have been transferred to the party’s central account," Then, however, he did not answer the question about how he could hide the transactions from 14 different places.

Originally published in The News