Dawood Ahmed:
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday morning in a unanimous verdict said that the Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf (PTI) had received prohibited foreign funding and issued a charge sheet to the former ruling party.
A three-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander (CEC) Sultan Raja announced the verdict in a case filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar which had been pending since November 14, 2014. The verdict, which was reserved on June 21, was expected at 10 am but was delayed by almost half an hour.
Key points of ECP’s ruling:
- Commission finds PTI received funding from prohibited sources
- Party got funds from Arif Naqvi, 34 foreign nationals and 351 foreign-based companies
- PTI took ownership of eight accounts, kept 13 hidden and failed to mention three
- Notice issued to PTI to explain why funds shouldn’t be confiscated
- Form-1 submitted by Imran Khan found to be “grossly inaccurate”
In the written verdict, a copy of which is available with Daily Quetta Voice, the commission noted that the party “knowingly and willfully” received funding from Wootton Cricket Limited, operated by business tycoon Arif Naqvi. The party received was a “willing recipient” of prohibited money of $2,121,500, it said.
