PTI financial expert seeks deferral of funding case hearing

ISLAMABAD: A financial expert of PTI on Wednesday requested the election commission for adjournment of the funding case, ARY News reported.

“You had assured completion of your comparison of the funds,” chief election commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja said during hearing of the PTI funding case in the election commission.

PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor said that questions being raised over the PTI funds. “How much time requires to your financial expert,” CEC asked the PTI lawyer.

“The election commission’s case influencing the case in the Islamabad High Court,” the lawyer said and sought the ECP to defer its scrutiny until the verdict of the high court case.

“The election commission and the high court have separate jurisdictions. This case has already been in pending for several years,” CEC replied.

“This case tainting the PTI’s image internationally,” Anwar Mansoor said. “I will inform you tomorrow about further time required after sitting with the financial expert,” PTI lawyer said. “It required five minutes to brief about the record, we have already memorized your record,” CEC said.

“The election commission will not keep the matter in further pending. An impression created that the matter is deliberately being kept in pending,” CEC observed. “Tell us tomorrow, how much time you still require for completion of arguments,” CEC said.

The ECP adjourned further hearing of the case until 12:30 tomorrow.

Earlier, PTI’s financial expert Najam Shah told the commission that the scrutiny committee has made an overstatement of 59.7 million in funds.

“The State Bank pointed out 19 bank accounts of the PTI. The party had eight central audited accounts in 2012-13,” he stated.

He said that the scrutiny committee was not authorized to seek record from the State Bank. It was comparing the PTI’s audit record with the central bank’s report.

“Are you saying that the committee was not authorized to write to the state bank,” ECP member Nisar Durrani asked.

“The scrutiny committee exercising authority wrote letter to the state bank,” Anwar Mansoor said. “The PTI was not aware about the accounts, added by the central bank in the party’s record,” lawyer said.

“PTI’s central finance wing didn’t know about the accounts individually opened,” he said. “These collected amounts were not included in the PTI audit,” he further said. “In report there were details of the accounts of the PTI’s central finance wing,” he said.