Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan built his political career on the anti-corruption crusade. But the former cricket captain is now in the eye of a storm after allegations of dubious funding of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party through a cricket tournament emerged, The Financial Times reported.
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In the early 2010s, Khan was invited by Pakistani business tycoon Arif Naqvi to Wootton, a village in the British county of Oxfordshire for a weekend. The event was organized by Abraaj Group, the fund management unit of Naqvi’s equity firm. Later, he presided over the Wootton T20 Cup, a league between teams with quirky names like Peshawar Perverts and Faisalabad Fothermuckers. Veteran cricket commentator Henry Blofeld attended along with expert umpires and film crews, the website reported.
Imran Khan told the website that he had gone to Wootton for a fundraising event which was also attended by many supporters of his party. He even took to the field and bowled during an event.
Guests were asked to pay between £2,000 and £2,500 to attend the event, which was said to be hosted for “philanthropic causes”. However, the fees were paid to Wootton Cricket Limited, the company owned by Naqvi which was incorporated in the Cayman Islands. The money was used to fund Khan’s PTI party. The company received funding from a number of companies and individuals, including a minister from the United Arab Emirates and a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family who contributed two million British pounds.
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According to the law, foreign citizens and companies cannot fund political parties in Pakistan. However, internal documents accessed by the website show that millions of dollars were transferred to Imran Khan’s party between February 28 and May 30 from Wootton Cricket’s bank account.
Pakistan’s poll panel has already been investigating PTI’s funding for years. In January this year, the election commission in a report alleged that the then-ruling PTI received funds from foreign citizens and companies and accused it of failing to declare funds and hiding dozens of bank accounts. Wootton Cricket was named in the report, but Naqvi was not identified as its owner.
According to the report, Wootton Cricket received $1.3 million from Abraaj Investment Management Ltd on March 14, 2013. On the same day, the money was allegedly transferred to a PTI bank account in Pakistan.
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In April of that year, Wootton Cricket received $2 million from UAE Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, who is also the chairman of Pakistan’s Bank Alfalah.
The website accessed emails between Naqvi and a colleague about the transfer of $1.2 million to Khan’s party. Six days after Wootton received $2 million, he transferred $1.2 million to Pakistan in two installments.
