Sheikh Rasheed dissociates himself from £190m settlement case

RAWALPINDI: Former federal minister and Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad Tuesday distanced himself from the ongoing National Crime Agency (NCA) £190 million scandal or Al-Qadir Trust case being pursued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Imran Khan and others, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

In a written reply to NAB, the former interior minister claimed that he was not in attendance when the matter of the trust was taken up in the cabinet meeting and had “no information and evidence” with regards to the issue.

Today copy of my reply to Nab against there short notice to me to appear be fore Nab as a witness in Al-Qadir Trust case pic.twitter.com/SgtED5aadA

— Sheikh Rashid Ahmed (@ShkhRasheed) May 30, 2023

“I was having strained relations with Shahzad Akbar and was not even on talking terms with him,” he stated and added that “I have no evidence or document in my possession with regard to the Al-Qadir Trust case.”

It is pertinent to mention here that Sheikh Rasheed is among the senior members of former premier Imran Khan’s cabinet who have been summoned by NAB today for their alleged involvement in the illegal settlement of 190 million pounds.

Al-Qadir Trust case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, the Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

Former PM Imran Khan had registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on Dec 26, 2019.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had changed the title of the Al-Qadir Trust case to ‘National Crime Agency £190m Scandal’.