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The choice may result in a ban on Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) social gathering, which rose to prominence on an anti-corruption drive.
Khan, who analysts say had fallen out with army powers over the appointment of a spy chief within the run as much as his ouster earlier this 12 months, was not instantly obtainable for remark. A spokesman for the PTI social gathering denied any wrongdoing.
The fee’s ruling is a serious setback for the previous cricket star who has been main a marketing campaign in opposition to the brand new authorities.
The case, filed in 2014 by Akbar S. Khan, a PTI founding member, accused the social gathering of receiving unlawful funds from overseas.
“The fee is glad that the contributions and donations have been obtained by the respondent social gathering from prohibited sources,” the ruling, which has been seen by Reuters, mentioned.
The fee mentioned the social gathering additionally hid 13 accounts, including that the declaration submitted to the fee concerning the social gathering funds by Khan as its chairman from 2008 to 2013 have been “discovered to be grossly inaccurate.”
It mentioned the PTI obtained funds from completely different folks and firms overseas, together with enterprise tycoon Arif Naqvi, proprietor of a Dubai-based fairness group, who’s amongst a number of folks charged by U.S. prosecutors with being a part of a global scheme to defraud buyers, together with the Invoice & Melinda Gates Basis.
Naqvi has denied the costs.
The fee mentioned the social gathering was “keen recipient of prohibited cash” amounting to $2.1 million from Naqvi’s Wootton Cricket Restricted, which is registered within the Cayman Islands.
It additionally recognized a number of different overseas accounts in the US, Britain, Australia, UAE, Canada, Switzerland and different international locations, which made transaction to Khan’s social gathering accounts.
The election fee ruling has been referred to the Pakistan authorities, which may search a Supreme Court docket ban on Khan and his social gathering from politics, based on authorized specialists. The court docket ordered the fee in 2017 to scrutinise the social gathering’s accounts.
“We are going to problem this ruling,” Khan’s social gathering spokesman, Fawad Chaudhry, informed reporters. He mentioned the funds have been obtained from Pakistani nationals residing abroad, which isn’t unlawful.
Since then, he has been rallying his supporters to press his demand for a brand new election. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected that demand.
“It’s a clear case of fraud,” mentioned Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, chief of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League social gathering.
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