The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had lied to the Interpol in the money-laundering case against Dubai-based Pakistani businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor filed on behalf of his wife, actor Sofia Mirza during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, a report has claimed.
According to a report published by The News, the FIA had issued a Diffusion Notice against Umar and Saleem Ahmad on the pretext of active non-bailable warrants against them in cases of corruption.
However, after hearing the plea filed by Umar against the Diffusion Notice, the court order revealed that the FIA had effectively lied to the Interpol that it had permission of the court for action against the businessman and issued Diffusion Notice in pursuance of the said permission.
“From the bare perusal of reports, it reveals that in both the cases FIR 36 of 2020 and 40 of 2020 neither any non-bailable warrants of arrest have been issued from this court nor any report has been submitted by FIA. Therefore, the stance taken by the FIA authorities in the diffusion letter written to the Interpol that challan in both the cases have been submitted before this court is against the record.”
Earlier, the Lahore High Court had directed the FIA to immediately withdraw Red Warrants against Umar. Subsequently, the FIA had challenged the said order before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, where the high court’s order was upheld.
The FIA had registered two cases against Umar after it found that Umar and the co-accused had allegedly committed a bank fraud of $89.2m in Oslo, Norway, in 2010 and another fraud of $12m in Bern, Switzerland, in 2004.
The news outlet, however, mentioned that the FIA and the ministry of interior did not respond to its queries and give their stance despite several reminders.
