The Broadsheet scandal has taken a new turn as the role of Daily Mail journalist David Rose has been brought to light. Kaveh Moussavi has accused David Rose of demanding GBP 250,000 to arrange a meeting and settling matters with Barrister Shahzad Akbar.
Kaveh Moussavi has alleged that Daily Mail journalist David Rose arranged his first meeting with Shahzad Akbar, Advisor to PM on Accountability and Interior, at the Royal Garden Hotel in Central London.
He alleged that David Rose had come to his house and the two discussed a meeting with Shahzad Akbar. After the meeting was set, David Rose asked that since such a large sum of money was being cleared by his assistance, what would he get out of the deal?
Kaveh Moussavi went on to say that David Rose told him about a mortgage of GBP 250,000 on his house, which Moussavi agreed to pay off.
Meanwhile, Daily Mail reporter David Rose has claimed that the meeting took place at the request of Moussavi, not himself. David Rose also said that he was offered money by Moussavi but he refused to accept it.
THREAD. I’ve heard some rumours are swirling around about a meeting I arranged in October 2019 between Kaveh Moussavi and Shazad Akbar at which they discussed Kaveh’s dispute with Pakistan over the Broadsheet case.
— David Rose (@DavidRoseUK) February 15, 2021
Pakistan is currently carrying out a probe into the Broadsheet scandal for which a high level commission, headed by Justice (retd) Azmat Saeed, has been constituted. The commission has started its work despite objections from the opposition parties.
The Broadsheet Commission will complete the inquiry in 6 weeks. The Commission of Inquiry will examine the selection, appointment process and contracts of the Broadsheet and the International Assets Recovery (IAR).
The Commission will also examine the reasons and implications of the cancellation of contracts with Broadsheet and IAR in 2003. The Commission has also been entrusted with the task of identifying the reasons and implications of Pakistan s payments to Broadsheet in 2008.
The commission headed by Justice (retd) Azmat Saeed will also determine the financial loss to the country as a result of closing various cases. The Broadsheet Inquiry Commission will have the power to summon any person for investigation.
Read More: Shehbaz Sharif worth 200 million pounds? David Rose stands by his story
It will further investigate other corruption cases, including corruption over the past 30 years. According to sources, the commission has appointed officers of good repute while all the requirements including logistical support have also been taken into consideration.
David Rose’s prominence in Pakistan
British journalist David Rose came in the limelight after he wrote an investigative piece on Shehbaz Sharif. The report alleged Shehbaz family of massive-scale money laundering and corruption.
According to a confidential investigation report seen by the Daily Mail, millions of pounds were transferred into the bank accounts of Shehbaz’s family members, including his wife, children and a son-in-law. It states to have interviewed key witnesses held on remand in jail, including a UK citizen, Aftab Mehmood, who claims that he had laundered millions on behalf of Shahbaz’s family from a nondescript office in Birmingham – without attracting suspicion from Britain’s financial regulators, who inspected his books regularly.
According to Daily Mail, investigators are convinced that some of the allegedly stolen money came from the Department for International Development (DFID)-funded aid projects. For rehabilitating and rebuilding lives of the poor, the DFID gave £54 million from UK taxpayers; and the legal documents allege that Shehbaz’s son-in-law received about £1 million from that fund.
As per claims by the Daily Mail, Britain’s National Crime Agency has been working closely with Pakistani investigators and Home Secretary Sajid Javid discussing the possible extradition of members of Shehbaz’s family, who have taken refuge in London.
Read More: Money Laundering: Shehbaz Sharif did not win the case, clarifies David Rose
A confidential investigation report, seen by Daily Mail, says the family was worth just £150,000 in 2003 but by 2018 their total assets had grown to around £200 million. Among other properties, Shehbaz owns a 53,000 sq ft palace in Lahore, which has its own large security force. The money, the report says, was channeled from abroad – via several elaborate money-laundering schemes, in which Britain played a central role.