Asad Umar records statement before sugar inquiry commission

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Tuesday recorded his statement before the sugar inquiry commission, ARY NEWS reported.

The federal minister decided to appear before the commission on Monday as Umar said previously that he would apprise the probing body regarding the decisions taken during the economic coordination committee (ECC) meeting.

The federal minister arrived at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headquarters on Tuesday to appear before the inquiry commission. The minister met with the Director General FIA Wajid Zia, who is leading the probe into the matter and members of the inquiry commission.

Talking to media on the occasion, Asad Umar said that soon it would be revealed as to how Prime Minister Imran Khan was different from other political leaders. “The sugar commission report will reveal if the commodity was smuggled from the country or not,” he said.

According to the latest updates, the sugar inquiry commission made progress in the probe into alleged misappropriation by completing interviews of the chief executive officers (CEOs) of different sugar mills on Sunday.

The executives’ interviews have been conducted by the inquiry commission at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headquarters.

Sources said that CEOs have not appeared before the commission, however, directors of the sugar mill owners gave the interviews to the investigators.

It emerged that the sugar inquiry commission had summoned eight groups for the interviews from the sugar mills including Alliance Group, Hunza Group, Hamza Group.

Sources added that the commission questioned the persons in light of the forensic audit.

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal cabinet on April 28 gave three weeks more time to Sugar Forensic Commission (SFC) to compile its detailed forensic report on the sugar and wheat scandal.

The approval was given in a federal cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, here in Islamabad.

The commission tasked with the forensic examination of the wheat, sugar inquiry report had sought three weeks’ time for submission of the thorough report.