Altaf`s bail extended in UK
2015-10-06
KARACHI: British investigators grilled Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain for a third time since 2014 in their ongoing money laundering investigations on Monday before extending his bail to February next year.
Accompanied by his party leaders and lawyers, Mr Hussain arrived at a London police station and answered the questions asked by the investigators.
A brief statement issued by the MQM said: `Following attendance at the Southwark police station as part of an ongoing investigation into allegations of money laundering, the Metropolitan Police informed Mr Hussain that his police bail has been extended on the same terms until a date in February 2016.
Neither the Metropolitan Police nor the MQM made public details of the `interview`.
Geo News claimed that the British officials questioned Mr Hussain about Dr Imran Farooq, who was stabbed to death near his residence in London on Sept 16, 2010.
According to the TV channel, Mr Hussain was grilled by the same three officers of the Scotland Yard who recently visited Pakistan to question suspects Mohsin Ali Syed, Khalid Shamim and Moazzam Ali Khan in connection with Imran Farooq`s murder.
But MQM leader Jalil said no question regarding Dr Imran Farooq was asked in the interview. `His interview lasted about three and a half hours and only questions on the given subject [money laundering allegations] were asked,` he told Dawn.
After the extension of bail, Mr Hussain said in a statement: `It is an entirely normal procedure in the UK legal system for bail to be extended. I hope that this may allow the authorities to conclude their investigation at the earliest opportunity.
It was the fifth bail extension following his arrest on June 3, 2014, in London. The British investigators had grilled Mr Hussain in June 2014 and in April this year.
So far no charges have been bled against the MQM chief, who is now a British citizen and has been living in London for over two decades.
Besides Mr Hussain, two other Londonbased MQM leaders Mohammad Anwar and Tariq Mir are also facing money laundering investigations and their bails expire on Oct 6 and 7, respectively.
A fourth person, Sarfraz Merchant, is alsounder investigation and on police ball. He is not a member of the MQM.
The money laundering investigation was launched after the Metropolitan Police discovered hundreds of thousands of pounds during two raids one on an MQM of fice and another on Mr Hussain`s residence in L ondon.
The raids were conducted in connection with the investigation into Dr Imran Farooq`s murder.