Shaukat Aziz named in Paradise Papers
ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan prime minister Shaukat Aziz figures in a new trove of data leaks on offshore dealings, about 18 months after the Panama Papers listed Nawaz Sharif for graft and money laundering charges that cost him his premiership.
Aziz, 68, served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2004 to 2007. Released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and 95 media partners, the Paradise Papers, a global investigation that reveals the offshore activities of some of the world’s most powerful people and companies, includes information about at least 31,000 persons or parties.
The Express Tribune reported that Aziz is linked with Antarctic Trust, which was set up by him, and includes his wife, children and granddaughter as beneficiaries. Aziz had set up the trust in the U.S. state of Delaware before becoming finance minister in 1999. He was working for financial giant Citibank at the time.
The trust was not declared at any point during his stint as the finance minister or the prime minister. Also, in a 2012 internal memo, the law firm’s compliance officer noted that Aziz had been accused by the Opposition of false declaration of assets, corruption and misappropriation of funds.
Three years later, in a database of high-risk clients, law firm Appleby noted that a Pakistani court had issued three arrest warrants against Aziz in relation to the killing of Akbar Bugti, a prominent Baloch leader.
In September 2015, the Antarctic Trust was closed and the related file removed from one of Appleby’s internal databases. According to the ICIJ, Aziz’s lawyers have said that he was not legally required to declare the trust to Pakistani authorities.
The same applied to the former premier’s wife and children, his lawyers said, adding Aziz paid all applicable U.S. taxes.
The purpose of the account, they said, was “to ensure that if he were to die, his assets would pass efficiently to his family”. Full story @ timesofoman.com/world