PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah believes there is no problem if a person keeps money in the bank accounts of their employees. However, what the former Punjab law minister forgot is that this is illegal.
“Suppose you have an employee whom you pay Rs18,000 or Rs20,000 monthly. If you open a bank account in his name and then transfer the money you’ve taken from a friend into that account, there’s no law that prohibits that,” Sanaullah told BOL News anchor Dr Moeed Pirzada on Tuesday.
The PML-N leader was defending his party founder Nawaz Sharif who has been convicted of hiding his money using benami bank accounts in the Panama leaks case.
Sanaullah said the panelists could even ask Special Assistant to the PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar whether there was a law barring a person from putting money into another person’s bank account.
Federal Maritime Minister Ali Zaidi, who was also a guest on the show, laughed at Sanaullah’s remarks. He said this was a clear admittance of crime.
“This is you confessing to crimes. This practice is called money laundering… it is clear fraud,” said Zaidi.
However, the PML-N leader was adamant that there’s no problem in opening account into someone else’s name unless some sort of corruption is involved.
After the show, when SAMAA TV sought an explanation from Sanaullah, he said the matter does not come under NAB’s jurisdiction but may be investigated under the Bank Act or Income Tax Act.
SAMAA TV’s Islamabad bureau chief Khalid Azim Chaudhry cited the NAB Ordinance’s Section 9A-5 to counter Sanaullah’s statement. According to the law, it is unlawful to hide assets or bank accounts.
“The intention behind opening a benami account is to conceal your assets. It is necessary for a public office holder to be extra wary of it,” he said.
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2yXvsdM
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