Over the past few months, Director General Federal Investigation Agency Dr Sanaullah Abbasi has personally overseen the crackdown on money launderers, ensuring that all zones of the FIA took strong action against the money laundering and other financial crimes. As a result of this campaign, the FIA has achieved significant results against such crimes.
While giving the details of the FIA’s seven-month performance, Waqar Ahmed Chauhan Director FIA Islamabad at a press conference in FIA Headquarters said that FIA continued to take effective action against money laundering in light of National Risk Assessment—NRA 2019—as well as other administrative, operational and legal measures of the government.
In December 2021 alone, 95 cases were registered against illegal currency dealers and persons involved in hawala hundi and 127 accused were arrested and 201 million Pakistani currency and 89 million foreign currency were seized, the FIA Director said.
Moreover, during the year 2021, a total of 335 cases were registered and 422 accused were arrested and a total of Rs. 1273.6 million was recovered, he said adding out of the references sent by the state of Pakistan, 32 cases were registered and 32 persons were arrested and 61 million Pakistani rupees and Rs31.61 million worth foreign currency were recovered.
Of the suspicious transactions made in banks and currency exchange companies, 271 cases were registered.
In drive against corruption, Chauhan said the FIA had registered hundreds of First Information Reports IRs in the anti-corruption and anti-corruption drive, out of which 46 were found to be involved in money laundering and money laundering during the investigation. Further cases have been registered under which an amount of Rs208 million has been seized in these cases.
In the last nine months, the FIA registered 312 FIRs in the campaign against illegal reference hindi and arrested the involved accused persons and seized Rs 897 million.
After completing investigations, challans against these accused have been sent to the court, he said.
On the reports of the intelligence agencies, 103 cases were registered and 140 accused were arrested and 530 million rupees of domestic and foreign currency was recovered, said Chauhan adding the cooperation with Interpol and other agencies has also been enhanced with regard to the overseas property or arrest of suspects involved in financial crimes. In this regard, more than 650 MLA Mutual legal assistance requests have been sent to Interpol during this period.
Chauhan said that in the coming days, the FIA would continue cracking down on these financial crimes, which are hurting the national economy, and the efforts will be further intensified.
