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| India-Pakistan |
| Pak to seal Qadeer Khan’s assets |
| 2004-01-26 |
| The bank accounts and other assets of Abdul Qadeer Khan, considered the architect of Pakistan’s nuclear programme , are to be frozen as he was involved in the clandestine sale of technology to Iran , Online news agency reported. Say goodbye, Khan. Investigators had come across clinching evidence of Khan’s involvement in selling Pakistan’s nuclear technology abroad after interrogating Farooq Hassan, director general of the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) that Abdul Qadeer Khan founded and heads. Hassan is among the large number of scientists who have been arrested and are being interrogated about the illegal transfer of technology. Khan had earned millions of dollars and this had been parked in banks in London and Dubai, Hassan told his interrogators. Ah, the fabled Pakistani truncheon team hits another one out of the park! Investigators discovered Abdul Baqi, who was fronting for Khan, was operating the accounts, containing $2 billion. Now we are talking serious money. Baqi is said to be the associate of a close relative of Khan. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had interrogated him but had later let him off. Sources said all matters related to transfer of nuclear technology were routed through Baqi. Sniff, sniff, I smell fall guy or key witness. The investigation team was also told of financial irregularities in the purchase of dyes used in the test firing of Ghauri missiles. The price of each dye was recorded as Rs. 339,000 against the actual cost of Rs.39,000. The owner of a factory had provided details about this to the NAB. Tacked a additional three hundred grand on the bill. Sounds like somebody has been cooking the books for a long time. Bet they had kicked back some to the supplier as well. It works until a real audit team starts looking, then everything falls apart. All the little guys will be falling over themselves to cut a deal before the big guy rats them out. |
| Posted by:Steve |