A Punjab Senior minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Aleem Khan was taken into custody for possessing excess assets than his income by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) officials in Lahore on Wednesday, a senior NAB official told South Punjab News.
The bureau has been probing Khan in multiple inquiries, including one involving offshore company Hexam Investment Overseas Ltd, one for owning assets beyond his known sources of income, and inquiries into Park View housing society, River Age Housing Society, and Multan Road.
It is unclear on what grounds the PTI leader was taken into custody. A NAB prosecution team was apprised of the development so it could begin preparations to obtain the senior minister's remand, the NAB source said.
The NAB had in January 2018 sought the record and details of offshore companies reportedly established in tax havens abroad by Khan and PML-Q's Chaudhry Moonis Elahi less than a month after the NAB chairman ordered an immediate inquiry into the companies held by 435 Pakistanis in tax havens abroad.
A Mutual Legal Assistance report pertaining to Khan's case was provided to NAB Lahore earlier in January this year, following which the PTI leader was summoned on Feb 6 (today).
When Khan was unable to satisfy NAB officials regarding the money trail for his assets after being questioned for two hours, he was informed that he would need to be taken into custody for further interrogation, the source told DawnNewsTV.
After he was taken into custody, Khan was prevented from leaving the office and the cars he had arrived in left the premises, the source said.
Khan's spokesman told DawnNewsTV that the senior minister had submitted his resignation to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. The CM's Office said it had not received the resignation as yet.
