ISLAMABAD - An enquiry of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) into the multi-billion scam of TDAP reveals that how former commerce minister and senior PPP leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem had been allegedly looting public money through his front men and purchased an apartment in Dubai from this loot and plunder.
FIA said that Amin Faheem during the last regime of PPP had been enjoying domestic and international costly air tickets, along with his family members, at the cost of public money allegedly looted in the TDAP scam.
FIA has already dispatched a list of charges to the veteran politician and once powerful candidate for the slot of PM Makhdoom Amin Fahim more than three months ago saying the strong evidence had established his involvement in Rs 5 billion scam of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). There is separately a long list of charges against former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in the same scandal.
According to official documents available with The Nation, the inquiry into dozens of cases being probed by FIA Karachi in TDAP scam show how then federal minister of commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim in the last government flouted rules and regulations to get posted an officer of grade 18 Farhan Ahmed Junejo in his ministry on deputation from the Government of Sindh. The investigators point out that this junior officer later officially worked as director to minister and unofficially worked as a front man of the minister to get kickbacks in the TDAP scam.
The FIA inquiry says that accused Frahan Ahmed Junejo, director to Fahim and his front man, succeeded to grab a sizeable amount from the ill-gotten/misappropriated amount in TDAP scandal and transferred through hundi/hawala amount of Rs 250 million from his and his family's accounts abroad in Dubai, UK, USA, and Switzerland which is evident from the record of banks. "And when reportedly a dispute developed between Amin Fahim and Junejo, regarding proper sharing /distribution of ill-gotten money, the later was repatriated to his parent department in 2012 on minister's instructions and Sikander Ali Shah was appointed as director to minister who was also allegedly partner of the minister in this loot and plunder," said the inquiry report.
The FIA inquiry said, "The money trail of illegal misappropriated money further leads that an apartment in Dubai was purchased for you (Fahim) by using the account of son of Syed Sikander Ali Shah (director to minister and an alleged front man of Makhdoom Amin)." The inquiry concluded that money trail of ill-gotten money established that air tickets of huge amount both for domestic and international for Amin Fahim and his family members including Goshi Babar were purchased from private travel agents by accused Aslam Pirzada and accused Farhan Ahmed Junejo during the entire period.
"TDAP's letter dated 29-07-2009 by endorsing that 'the honourable minister (Fahim) has desired that payment for such big pending issues may be released ...list of 13 companies is annexed for Rs 131 million claims'. This was the starting point towards massive corruption in TDAP and was the first major chunk of misappropriated amount," says FIA investigation.
The investigation unearths that EDF (Export Development Fund) Secretariat wrote two letters, after approval of Amin Fahim in the capacity of commerce minister, for the release of Rs 131 million and Rs 305 million separately to different firms. Thus funds amounting to total Rs 436 million were got released by TDAP to existent and non-existent firms carrying minister's approval on the basis of fake/forged export documents.
The probe said that 70 to 80 percent misappropriated amount was withdrawn from the accounts of exporter firms/companies and went to different accounts and then 90 percent of this amount was withdrawn in the shape of cash and handed over to Amin Faheem's front man Farhan Ahmed Junejo, accused Sikander Shah, accused Aslam Pirzada, private secretary to the minister, and accused Faisal Siddique Khan, the front man of then PM Yousaf Raza Gilani.
Interestingly, Frahan Junejo served in the Ministry of Commerce without drawing salaries throughout the period, as AGPR did no fix his salary, because Accountant General (AG) Sindh did not issue his last pay certificate due to the accused' unauthorized absence from duty.
"While you were federal Minister for commerce, on your instruction and desire the services of accused Farhan Ahmed Junejo (Ex-PCS, BS-18) an absentee and under suspension officer facing departmental proceedings ...was requisitioned from Government of Sindh in 2009," the investigator wrote in the report. The probe reveals that Farhan Ahmed Junejo joined Sindh government on 15-09-2009 after remaining absent from 22-10-2006 to 15-09-2009 just to serve in the federal government. Prior to this, he was on Ex-Pakistan leave without pay from 22-10-2003 to 22-10-2006.
While the matter of rendering services of accused Farhan Ahmed Junejo from Sindh Govt. to the Federal Ministry of Commerce was still under process, Junejo already reported to the Ministry of Commerce on 21-09-2009, FIA said in the report.