London - Arab Today
British police documents list more than 70 London bank accounts related to a Pakistani party being investigated for money-laundering, BBC reported.
Twenty-six are in the name of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain. UK-based party officials are waiting to hear if they will face money-laundering charges.
Six British detectives were recently in Pakistan seeking co-operation in the alleged money-laundering case.
The MQM has said Scotland Yard’s claims about the bank accounts are baseless.
British police have been investigating the MQM, one of Pakistan’s main political parties, for several years but the pace of their investigations has picked up markedly since a meeting in London in April between Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Nisar Ali Khan, and Home Secretary Theresa May.
The Scotland Yard documents, which include details of both open and closed bank accounts, were submitted to Pakistan’s Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) as part of a British request for assistance.
Scotland Yard has declined to comment on the documents.
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service is already considering whether leading MQM officials should be charged with money-laundering offenses but police say that does not stop them making further inquiries.
“The investigation continues and any further relevant information would be discussed with the CPS,” said a spokesperson at Scotland Yard.
Source: Arab News