Financial misappropriation: FIA constitutes inquiry team against Nighat Dad’s DRF
FIA constituted inquiry team to probe into financial misappropriation and money laundering by Nighat Dad's Digital Rights Foundation (DRF).
LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has constituted an inquiry team to probe into alleged financial misappropriation and money laundering by a non-governmental organization (NGO), Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), founded by the lawyer-cum-women rights activist Nighat Dad.
Mohammad Akram wrote on Twitter that Nighat Dad’s NGO, Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), had acquired registration for one year but she did not apply for the extension of NOC from the government nor submitted the annual audit report of the expenditures and foreign fundings.
Akram claimed that it was a clear violation of EAD 2013. He commented that some government officers are present in the interior ministry who kept their eye close over probing into illegal funding of NGOs in the country. He added that such government employees are increasing risks to the national security.
نگہت داد کی ڈیجٹیل رائٹس فاونڈیشن کے خلاف مبینہ غبن کی تحقیقات کے لیے FIA نے تفتیشی ٹیم تشکیل دے دی۔ NGO کی ایک سال کے لیے رجسٹریشن کروائی۔ کبھی سالانہ تجدید کروائی نہ فارن فنڈنگ اور اخراجات کی سالانہ آڈٹ رپورٹ جمع کروائی جو EAD 2013 کی سنگین خلاف ورزی ہے۔@nighatdad @FIA_Agency pic.twitter.com/2Iz9BTbDEA
— اکرم راعی Muhammad Akram (@AkramRaee) March 5, 2022
صاف بات ہے کہ وزارت داخلہ میں ایسے سرکاری ملازم بیٹھےہیں جو فارن فنڈنگ لینے والی این جی اوز کی غیرقانونی فنڈنگ کی تحقیقات سے آنکھیں بند کرنے کی بھاری قیمت وصول کرکے اپنی آنکھیں بند کر لیتے ہیں۔ ایسے ملازم قومی سلامتی کے لیے سنگین خطرہ ہیں۔@PakPMO @GovtofPakistan @OfficialDGISPR
— اکرم راعی Muhammad Akram (@AkramRaee) March 5, 2022
According to the FIA notification issued on March 2, the inquiry team will be supervised by Inspector Sabahat Noor from FIA Lahore while the other members include Inspector Qudsia Awais, SI/SHO Uzma Ashiq and SI Tassaduq Hussain. The team was tasked to submit its findings within 90 days.
The complaint for the alleged misappropriation and laundering of local and international funding by DRF was submitted to the FIA by an advocate of the high court Muhammad Faheem Qureshi.
Nighat Dad answerable to govt over theft of foreign funds
The complaint read, “That under the garb of this NGO, the DRF’s chairperson Nighat Dad, in connivance with other members of DRF i.e Ambreen Mirza, Muhammad Abbas Rizvi, Hassan Fareed, Razia Sarwar, Farheen Ashfaq, Waleed Maqsood along with facilitators Usama Khilji, Meera Shafi alias Meesha Shafi and Leena Ghani are involved in financial embezzlement and misappropriating of funds.
“That as per notifications of Economic Affairs Division (EAD) of 2013, it is mandatory for NGOs desirious of utilizing foreign assistance have to be registered with the EAD.” It added, “That the accused have no registration with the EAD but she is still receiving foreign assistance.”
Advocate Muhammad Faheem Qureshi sought FIA to charge Nighat Dad and others under 406 PPC for criminal breach of trust and conduct investigation of money laundering of criminally misappropriated funds from public at large.
