Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar : Strong Evidence Links Bahria Town, Malik Riaz to Money Laundering
Govt Uncovers Evidence of Large-Scale Money Laundering Linked to Malik Riaz and Bahria Town: Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar
ISLAMABAD – Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Wednesday said the government has uncovered solid evidence suggesting that real estate tycoon Malik Riaz and his company, Bahria Town, have been involved in large-scale money laundering.
Speaking at a televised press conference, Tarar revealed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) recently carried out a significant raid as part of an ongoing investigation into Bahria Town’s financial dealings.
“A major breakthrough occurred just yesterday in the Bahria Town corruption case,” Tarar told reporters. “The FIA conducted a successful raid and recovered key documents that serve as undeniable proof of money laundering and corruption involving Malik Riaz and Bahria Town.”
According to Tarar, the documents seized so far point to money laundering activity involving at least Rs1.12 billion. He said the findings have further deepened the legal troubles of the real estate group, especially as Malik Riaz continues to evade arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust case, where he has been declared an absconder.
In a surprising revelation, the minister said that Rawalpindi’s Safari Hospital was being used as a “front” for hiding cash and records. “The ambulances of the hospital were used to move money and sensitive documents,” he said. “This wasn’t just corruption — it involved illegal hundi and hawala transactions, all disguised under the cover of a medical facility.”
Tarar added that during the raid, two individuals — identified as Imran and Kaiser — were caught operating the hawala and hundi network. Both were allegedly linked directly to Bahria Town’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The FIA has reportedly seized all relevant documents as evidence.
“These operations weren’t being run in isolation,” the minister claimed. “The leadership of Bahria Town, including their CFO and finance director, were orchestrating this massive money laundering racket, sending large sums abroad through illegal channels.”
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also announced a fresh auction of six Bahria Town properties, as part of ongoing recovery efforts.
Govt Claims Solid Evidence of Major Money Laundering by Bahria Town and Malik Riaz: Tarar
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday that the government has found “strong and undeniable” evidence linking Bahria Town and its founder, Malik Riaz, to an alleged large-scale money laundering network.
“This is just the beginning. The Rs1.12 billion already discovered is not the full picture — more amounts are expected to surface as the investigation progresses,” Tarar said at a press briefing.
He said a raid was recently conducted at a hospital allegedly used as a front for the illegal transfer of billions of rupees out of the country. “The facility clearly shows that huge sums were being sent abroad using illegal channels, bypassing banks and official systems,” he added.
According to Tarar, as soon as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided the site, personnel from Bahria Town allegedly tried to destroy documents. “Some papers were burned, but the FIA managed to recover most of the records. If there was nothing illegal going on, why attempt to burn the evidence?” he questioned.
He named Bahria Town CFO Amir Rasheed and executive Shahid Qureshi as key figures, claiming they had direct links to individuals named Imran and Kaiser, who were allegedly operating the money transfer system. “The evidence is solid. These individuals were not acting alone,” he asserted.
Tarar emphasized that the ongoing investigation is focused solely on Malik Riaz, his associates, and family, not the residents of Bahria Town. “People living in Bahria Town are not under any threat. Our target is the financial wrongdoing,” he clarified.
