British authorities have closed an investigation into British-Pakistani businessman Farhan Junejo for allegedly laundering £8 million.
The British National Crime Agency (NCA), the lead law enforcement agency of the United Kingdom against organized crime; human, weapon and drug trafficking; cybercrime; and economic crime, had been probing Junejo and his alleged ties with politicians in Pakistan and for allegedly laundering money on their behalf.
They had also arrested Junejo and his wife in London on September 17, 2018.
“The NCA has closed this investigation,” stated NCA Senior Communications Officer Kerri Fitzpatrick stated.
The agency continued that they will “take no further action unless compelling new evidence of criminality is identified.
Pakistan’s Assets Recovery Unit (ARU) – then headed by the former special assistant to the prime minister on accountability Shahzad Akbar, had filed a case of money laundering and corruption against Junejo with the NCA.
The ARU contended that Junejo was wanted in a money laundering case linked to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).
The Asset Recovery Unit believed that Junejo acted as a frontman for late Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Makhdoom Amin Faheem.
After the ARU’s filing, the NCA arrested Junejo.
“Officers from the NCA’s International Corruption Unit have arrested a former ‘Pakistani Politically Exposed Person’, aged in his 40s, and his wife, aged in her 30s, in connection with alleged money laundering in the United Kingdom believed to be the result of corruption in Pakistan,” the NCA had stated in a media release following his arrest.
