ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has also announced issuing notices to Pakistanis named in the Paradise Papers .
SBP Governor Tariq Bajwa said that they were reviewing the names of Pakistanis mentioned in the leaks, adding that they would inquire into where the capital for the offshore companies came from. The central bank would see whether they had paid tax on the money, which was transferred or not, he said.
Bajwa said that they would also consider the money laundering aspect in this case. “We will send questionnaire to Pakistanis named in the leaks regarding their source of income and mode of transferring money. The SBP will take action against them if they could not satisfy us,” he added.
The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on Sunday released a database of around 13.4 million documents revealing over 25,000 companies owned by world’s rich and influential individuals. The papers mention the names of Pakistani nationals including former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former National Insurance Corporation Limited chairperson Ayaz Khan Niazi and others.
The FBR has already said that it would examine the Paradise Papers to seek information from Pakistani nationals about ownership of offshore companies and details about their tax matters.
