Pakistan: FIA constitutes team to probe into PTI prohibited funding case

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 6 : Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) constituted a six-member team to probe into Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI's) prohibited funding case.
This investigation came a few days after the three-member Election Commission of Pakistan bench in a unanimous verdict ruled that the PTI received prohibited funding in the case pending since 2014, ARY News reported.
Director Amna Baig will be leading the investigation team and four employees that were nominated in the ECP report were included in the initial investigation, according to sources.
The employees who recorded their initial testimonies to the FIA include Muhammad Rafique, Tahir Iqbal and Muhammad Arshad.
The concerned authorities have expanded the scope of the probe against PTI in the prohibited funding case. A five-member special monitoring team was formed by the intelligence agency.
The monitoring team will coordinate with the zonal inquiry team in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta and Faisalabad, reported ARY News.
On August 4, the Pakistan government decided to file a disqualification reference against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after the verdict of the prohibited funding case and the federal cabinet accepted the recommendation.
Pakistan's Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said in her press conference that the PTI used overall 16 bank accounts that were not found on the records. She alleged that PTI used donations to the charity as party funds and an inquiry will be conducted into it.
"For the first time in Pakistan, a political party is declared a foreign-funded party. The accounts of the PTI secretariat employees were used for foreign funding," she added.
Aurangzeb said that PTI was declared a 'foreign-funded party' in light of the ECP verdict, according to ARY News.
On August 2, The ECP in its unanimous verdict on the "prohibited funding" case, on Tuesday, said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf had received the prohibited funds and issued a show-cause notice to PTI.
The Commission found that the donations were taken from 34 countries in fundraising. These included America, Australia, and the UAE, Geo News reported.
The ECP also said that the PTI had taken funds from an American businessman.
In its verdict, the ECP observed the 'unknown accounts' and said that hiding accounts are a "violation of the Constitution".
Moreover, it found that PTI Chairman Imran Khan submitted a false Nomination Form I.
The ECP decided to issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received.
According to the publication, the ECP, Monday, released the cause list for the case. The cause list showed that the verdict would be announced by a three-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja, who arrived early in the morning at the office.