Pak's top probe agency may arrest ex-PM Imran Khan in prohibited funding case: Report

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan could be arrested by the country’s top investigating agency for failing to appear before it and snubbing its notices in the prohibited funding case, according to a media report on Saturday.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) issued a second notice to Khan on Friday, according to The News.

Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, received the first notice last Wednesday, but he refused to appear before the FIA investigation team, the newspaper said.

“The final decision to arrest Imran Khan could be taken after issuing three notices,” the report said, quoting highly-placed sources in the FIA.

The FIA has traced five companies related to Khan’s party that were operating in the USA, Australia, Canada, Britain and Belgium and they were not mentioned in the reports submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the report said, quoting sources.

Khan on Wednesday asked FIA to take back the notice sent to him in the prohibited funding case in two days or he would take legal action.

“Neither am I liable to answer to you nor is it liable on me to provide information to you. If notice is not taken back in two days, then I will take legal action against you,” he said in a written response to the top investigation agency.

“The FIA committee has collected enough evidence to prove Imran guilty of hiding the factual position from the ECP,” the report said, adding that the third and probably the final notice would be issued next week.

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Earlier this month, Pakistan’s Election Commission said Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party received funds against the rules from 34 foreign nationals, including a businesswoman of Indian-origin, in a major setback to the former prime minister.

A three-member bench of the ECP issued a show cause notice to Khan's party for receiving prohibited funding from foreign nationals and foreign-based companies and keeping it under wraps.

It also sought an explanation from the party and its chief Khan.

The case was filed in November, 2014 by the party’s founding member Akbar S Babar, who is no longer associated with PTI.

The Election Commission in its verdict issued a notice to the party asking why the funds should not be confiscated, and it also said that it was “constrained to hold that Imran Khan failed to discharge his obligations as mandated under the Pakistani statutes.” PTI and the Election Commission have been at loggerheads.

Khan has been accusing Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja of being biased against his party.