PM’s ex-advisor Khurram Rasool surrenders himself to FIA

Khurram Rasool, a long-time PPP activist who was known for schmoozing with the right crowd, ultimately surrendered himself to FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) on late Thursday.

He, who has allegedly also served as media coordinator to Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, has been convicted in the banking fraud case and Rawalpindi Accountability Court had sentenced him to three years in imprisonment.

Speaking to the media, he stated that he had been receiving life threats, therefore he went underground. “My family is also facing threats and his children could not attend schools for one year,” he added. He expressed hopes over judiciary, saying he was forced to sign cheques.

Apparently tough days are ahead for Gilani’s alleged former media coordinator. However, he himself has to blame for the situation he is facing.

He deliberately defrauded a businessman of millions of rupees for a Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) contract that never transpired and then also went around town claiming to be the media coordinator for the prime minister, a charge the Secretariat now fervently refuses.

The Supreme Court while hearing a petition against Khurram Rasool accusing that he took bribes worth of Rs630 million for an LPG contract from Pervez Hussain. The Interior Ministry was directed by the court to produce him before the court by January 27.

On Thursday, three different courts have handed down verdicts in three different cases. In the meantime, an accountability court in Rawalpindi sentenced him to three years in prison in absentia in a bank fraud case.

Jahandar Khan Banth, the judge of the Accountability Court-III handed down the verdict under Section 31-A of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance. Earlier on April 28, 2011, the court had declared Khurram Rasool a proclaimed offender for his absence from hearings.

A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC), late on, dismissed a petition for protective bail for him that was sought after he was sentenced by the accountability court.

Hours after the division bench of the LHC refused his protective bail, a special court for banking offences granted interim bail to Khurram Rasool.

Despite his short-lived stint at the governmental post, the media coordinator apparently had his fingers in more than just one pie.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jan 27 2012. Filed under National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.