Imran Khan’s security chief Ghumman not a money-launderer: brother-in-law

LONDON: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s security chief Iftikhar Rasool Ghumman has never been involved in money laundering, and owns legitimate businesses in Britain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), his brother-in-law has said.

Speaking to Geo News, Amir Khan — Ghumman’s brother-in-law — said that Khan’s security chief was receiving threats prior to his arrest, and he was being encouraged to stop supporting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman's funding arrangements around Zaman Park but when he refused, he was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a money laundering case.

Amir, who is also a PTI UK leader, said he had sent complete details of Ghumman’s UK and UAE assets to the FIA and to Ghumman’s lawyers to show that he has legal means of income to fund his political activities in Pakistan.

He said: “Iftikhar Rasool Ghumman owns farmhouses and real estate in the UK and the UAE. His two sons are doing business in the UK and the UAE. He gave up his British citizenship two years ago and decided to shift to Pakistan to take part in politics in order to serve Pakistan. He was advised by many relatives not to move to Pakistan but he was passionate about living and investing in Pakistan and now he’s paying the price.”

The Anti-Money Laundering Cell (AMLC) of the FIA has said it busted an internally active racket involved in the illegal business of money laundering based in Lahore and arrested two members of the gang.

According to FIA officials, Ghumman was running a fake international money laundering network along with Qaisar Mushtaq and Asim Hussain. They said that the entire network had been exposed and the people engaged in money laundering through Hundi and Hawala rounded up, adding that the racket was involved in transferring billions of rupees to different countries through illegal ways.

Amir said: “Iftikhar Rasool Ghumman has never done anything illegal. He always taught us never to think of anything wrong and always do the right thing. He has been arrested and persecuted just because he supports Imran Khan and has refused to leave his side. Imran Khan is aware that Ghumman is a legitimate businessman who has never been involved in any kind of illegality.”

He said it is a lie that Ghumman was running a racket of more than 40 fake companies for transferring money to other countries. “None of these countries ever had any issue with our legal businesses. These allegations are a pack of lies.”

He further said Ghumman is a credible party leader and running established international business in different countries, and that he was authorised to take care of the imports and exports on behalf of the party under the instructions of Khan.

Since his arrest, the former prime minister — who was voted out in April last year — has issued several statements in support of Ghumman. Khan said in a tweet. “So now people close to me, along with my leadership, are being harassed, abducted, tortured and confronted with sham cases across Pakistan in total violation of the Constitution and rule of law.”

The PTI chairman also tweeted on Tuesday: “My security in charge Iftikhar Ghumman is still in FIA custody. He was an overseas Pak who left everything & came to Pak to help in our mission for Haqiqi Azadi. He has been deliberately targeted to weaken my security & also to spread fear amongst the PTI hierarchy. We know who is behind all this.”