The event itself was a ‘Wootton T20 Cup’ of which Naqvi was the President from 2010 to 2012. The teams had names such as Peshawar Perverts and Faisalabad Fothermuckers.
In his correspondence with the Financial Times, Imran Khan claims he had gone to “a fundraising event which was attended by many PTI supporters.” The guest list comprised hundreds of bankers, lawyers and investors.
Guests were asked to pay between GBP 2,000-2,500 to attend. As per Naqvi, the money was going to philanthropic causes. In fact, the ultimate beneficiary was a political party in Pakistan.
All the money went to Wootton Cricket Ltd, which was in fact a Cayman Islands-incorporated company owned by Naqvi. They money was being used to fund the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan’s political party.
Money Trail
As per Pakistan’s rules, foreign nationals and companies cannot fund national political parties. However, documents consisting of Abraaj emails, Abraaj internal papers and a bank statement for the period of February 28 and May 30, 2013 (for a Wootton bank account in the UAE) show that foreign nationals and companies sent millions of dollars to Wootton Cricket.
In 2012, Imran Khan needed to raise funds for the election that was scheduled in May 2013 and Naqvi worked to raise funds for the PTI’s campaign. Months before the election, a USD 2 million amount was sent to Wootton Cricket’s bank account. It came from Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak al-Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister for Tolerance.
All the money went to Wootton Cricket Ltd, which was in fact a Cayman Islands-incorporated company owned by Naqvi. They money was being used to fund the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan’s political party.
Six days later, out of the USD 2 million, Naqvi transferred USD 1.2 million to Pakistan in two instalments. In an email to Naqvi written by Abraaj senior executive Rafique Lakhani, it was mentioned that the transfers were intended for PTI. In another email addressed to Lakhani, Naqvi wrote: “do not tell anyone where funds are coming from ie who is contributing”.
The money initially to be sent via Naqvi’s personal account was then sent in two instalments on May 6, 2013 to Tariq Shafi, a businessman based in Karachi and an organisation called the Insaf Trust in Lahore. The final destination in both cases was the PTI. “Don’t eff this up rafiq,” wrote Naqvi in another email.
Imran Khan confirmed receiving the funds from Tariq Shafi but says Shafi is responsible for clarifying where the money came from.
However, a bank statement for Wootton cricket shows that Naqvi transferred three instalments directly to the PTI, a grand total of USD 2.12 million. The largest amount transferred was USD 1.3 million from Abraaj to Wootton Cricket but it was charged to its holding company K-electric.
In December 2014, Akbar S. Babar, a founding member of the PTI filed a complaint which initiated the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) investigation about PTI’s funding.
Imran Khan won the election in July 2018 and increasingly began to criticise the West while praising the Taliban when US forces began to withdraw in 2021.
In January 2022, the ECP issued a report where it said that:
- The PTI had received funding from foreign companies and nationals.
- It also accused the PTI of under reporting and concealing dozens of bank accounts.
- Wootton Cricket has transferred USD 2.12 million to the PTI but there was no mention of the original source of the money.