Pervez Khattak spills beans on PTI govt’s nod to UK NCA £190m agreement

• Akbar deceived cabinet on the issue of deal with UK’s NCA: Khattak.
• Says cabinet members shown sealed envelope during the meeting.
• “In this case we made a mistake,” former defence minister admits. 

Former defence minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians  (PTI-P) chief Pervez Khattak said that then-special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) Shehzad Akbar misled the cabinet into approving the 190 million pounds settlement agreement with the UK authorities.

In an interview with Geo News’ Saleem Safi, the former prime minister Imran Khan’s aide, who recently parted ways with the PTI over May 9 violence, said Akbar had deceived the cabinet on the issue of a deal with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) during the previous government.

Khattak said that the cabinet members were shown sealed envelope during the meeting and told that the ill-gotten assets seized in London will be repatriated to Pakistan’s government.

Khattak, the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister, also said the ex-accountability aide had claimed that the British government would deposit around 190 million pounds, in the national treasury under the agreement.

“In this case, we made a mistake,” he admitted.

Responding to a question regarding the Tosha Khana scandal against PTI chief Imran Khan, Khattak said selling state gifts in violation of all laws was a “shameful act”.

Case background

The British government, in 2019, uncovered a whopping £140 million in an account owned by a renowned Pakistani real estate tycoon's son, and his wife from 2018 to 2019.

The NCA swiftly froze the funds, suspecting the criminal origins of the proceeds.

Surprisingly, neither the individual nor his wife challenged the account freeze. Following proper legal procedures, the UK returned the laundered funds to Pakistan's government in 2019.

This decision was announced through a joint press release by the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) and the NCA.

The case subsequently made its way to Pakistan’s federal cabinet on December 3, 2019, where it was presented by Shahzad Akbar in a sealed envelope.

The purpose of the presentation was to discuss the return of the funds, which would be channelled into an account overseen by the registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

This particular account was associated with the recovery of a staggering Rs460 billion from the same property tycoon, in connection with fines imposed on a housing scheme in Karachi.

“Imran Khan approved the settlement without allowing his cabinet members to read it,” a source familiar with the investigation told The News.

Investigations have revealed that as part of an agreement to return the laundered money, the property tycoon offered a substantial compensation package.

This included the transfer of 458 Kanal, 4 Marla and 58 square feet of land in Jhelum, alongside cash amounting to Rs285 million, which was destined for the Al-Qadir Trust.

The trustees of Al-Qadir Trust included Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and his senior advisers Zulfiqar Bukhari and Babar Awan. However, it is worth noting that Awan and Bukhari's positions were subsequently revoked on April 22, 2020.