What is the ‘Farah Gogi fiasco’?

The disclosed assets of Farhat Shahzadi, also known as Farah Gogi, alleged to be the front person of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, surged by an astonishing Rs4.52 billion between 2017 and 2020, a report by Express News has stated. 

The revelations, made public on Thursday, suggest widespread corruption involving Shahzadi, a close associate of Imran Khan and his wife, former First Lady Bushra Bibi. 

The details of Farah Gogi’s assets were made public by journalist Zahid Gishkori in 2022, who was associated with Samaa News at that time.

Farah Khan, Bushra Khan, Ahsan Jamil own multiple companies, reveal official record, having fertile business volume. pic.twitter.com/UCyKaBe2LL

— Zahid Gishkori (@ZahidGishkori) June 16, 2022

Farah Gogi, who confessed to owning assets worth Rs950 million in 2020, saw a staggering 420% increase in her declared assets during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. 

The report alleges that she also possesses undisclosed assets amounting to Rs3.82 billion.

The disclosed assets, as per the report, include agricultural land in Bahawalpur and Gujranwala, residential and commercial properties in Islamabad and Lahore, and 200 kanals of agricultural land in Chakri. 

Furthermore, investigations revealed her involvement in crimes such as money laundering, with accusations of working as a fake doctor in the UK alongside her husband.

The report claims that Gogi took advantage of the tax amnesty scheme in 2018, regularizing Rs489 million in black money collected through bribes for various postings, transfers, and government contracts. 

The report further alleges that Gogi received 240 kanals of land as a bribe from a property tycoon involved in an out-of-court settlement with the UK’s National Crime Agency.

According to the report, the number of Gogi’s bank accounts showed a significant abnormal increase from 2019 to 2021, with Rs426 million deposited in one account through 47 transactions from 2018 to 2022. 

In total, 102 bank accounts linked to Gogi, her husband, and associates across the country were identified, with a sum of Rs14.5 billion.

In response to these allegations, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Central Deputy General Secretary Ataullah Tarar held a press conference in Lahore, accusing Gogi and others of engaging in corruption. 

He urged Gogi to return to Pakistan and testify about Imran Khan’s involvement.

Imran Khan’s lawyer, Sher Afzal Marwat, dismissed the allegations as a new wave of propaganda against Bushra Bibi, Imran’s wife. 

Marwat emphasized the need to avoid further political unrest in Pakistan.

Secret foreign passport

Recent developments indicate that Farah Gogi used a secret foreign passport to travel abroad for the alleged purpose of laundering wealth belonging to Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi as per Geo News.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered a money-laundering and kickbacks case against Gogi in March, with her bank accounts reportedly holding over Rs14 billion.

Meanwhile, Gogi sent a legal notice to the NAB chairman, FIA DG, Punjab IG, and Anti-Corruption Department (ACE) DG on the issue of leaking her property details.

فرحت شہزادی نے جائیداد کی مبینہ تفصیلات لیک کرنے کے معاملے پر چیئرمین نیب، ڈی جی ایف آئی اے، آٸی جی پنجاب اور ڈی جی اینٹی کرپشن کو لیگل نوٹس بھجوا دیا pic.twitter.com/WthsxXTHGo

— Zahid Gishkori (@ZahidGishkori) November 12, 2023

According to the fresh reports, Gogi used to travel abroad on the passport of Vanuatu, a string of more than 80 islands once known as the New Hebrides which is situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

The sources also claimed that the son of a property tycoon had been given the task of arranging a secret international passport for Gogi. The property tycoon’s son paid $130,000 to a renowned trader to obtain the passport.

On March 28, 2022, the secret passport was handed over to Gogi, the sources added.

In order to get her escape from accountability, Gogi was sent abroad on a Pakistani passport just six days before the Khan-led government was toppled. 

In a bid to dodge the investigation agencies, she travelled abroad on a foreign passport, except Dubai.