Fake accounts case: Zardari, Bilawal and Talpur among 172 placed on ECL

The multi-billion rupee fake account scam, the government of Pakistan has put the names of 172 people on the Exit Control List (ECL). The Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) list includes the names of Pakistan Peoples’ Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, chairman Bilawal Bhutto, Faryal Talpur, CM Murad Ali Shah, former CM Qaim Ali Shah and several Sindh ministers.

The development comes a day after the federal cabinet decided to put 172 suspects, including senior PPP leaders on the ECL for their involvement in money laundering and fake bank account case.

Other accused whose names have been placed on the ECL include PPP leaders Sohail Anwar Siyal, Imtiaz Sheikh, Ali Hassan Zardari, Manzoor Kaka, Sohail Rajput, Omni Group chairman Anwar Majeed, and his son Nimar Majeed.

Former National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) president Syed Ali Raza and top officials of the Sindh Bank, including Bilal Sheikh, Ahsan Shiekh, and Sarwat Azeem, also face the travel ban.

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday announced that the government will place the names of all 172 people named in the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report on the ECL.

Addressing media in the federal capital, the minister said that the names of former president Asif Zardari and all other people named in the JIT will be placed on ECL.

“These people (named in the JIT) used power to launder billions of rupees so we have decided to put all of them on ECL for it was taxpayers’ money which was looted,” said Chaudhry.

He also took a dig at Asif Zardari over his statement of not taking the JIT report seriously and said that now he will take this report seriously.

“It is ridiculous how these people are calling for people to protest over this “alleged injustice” for they looted their money.

“How can they ask people of Sindh to protest for them after looting their money,” said the minister.