PTI’s financial expert briefs ECP about party funds

ISLAMABAD: A financial expert of PTI on Thursday continued his briefing as a three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) resumed hearing of the foreign funding case.

“Brief only about the accounts, details of which were not given to the scrutiny committee,” Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja told financial expert Najam Shah.

“Clarify about six to seven accounts, which are disputed,” the CEC asked. “Don’t repeat which has already been described as repeating of a matter creates confusion,” the CEC added.

The financial expert said that the record of individually opened accounts could not be submitted to the scrutiny committee. “The party’s central finance committee could not receive record of such accounts,” Najam Shah said.

Najam Shah said that there is a difference of over 310 million rupees in PTI record and report of the scrutiny committee. “The committee has made 310 million rupees overstatement in PTI funds,” he stated.

“A narrative is being floated that the PTI received funds over two billion rupees,” the expert said.

“I want to give details of accounts, which the State Bank has attributed to the PTI,” he said.

“According to the State Bank, the PTI had 26 bank accounts during 2009-13, while the party’s central finance wing had collected funds from overseas in nine bank accounts. The committee had pointed out 836 million, which could not be proved,” he said.

“PTI didn’t describe the source of several funds,” ECP member Nisar Durrani remarked. “The party’s central finance wing had no record of individually opened accounts,” the PTI expert said.

The commission directed the PTI financial expert to conclude his briefing within five days. “We will demand details in case of any question”, the CEC said.

The election commission directed the PTI lawyer to conclude his arguments within two days and adjourned further hearing of the case until June 7.

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