Official investigative documents name former Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) chief Shehzad Akbar as the central architect in Pakistan’s £190 million corruption case. The scandal centers on Akbar’s alleged diversion of funds recovered from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) into private accounts, bypassing state coffers.
Investigators discovered that Akbar signed a confidential deed on November 6, 2019, several weeks before the cabinet granted formal approval, indicating premeditated misconduct. Akbar falsely recorded the £190 million settlement, originally frozen by UK authorities under anti-money laundering laws, as a transfer to the Supreme Court’s account. Instead, he redirected the funds to benefit a Karachi-based private housing society.
190ملین پاؤنڈ کیس،سابق مشیراحتساب شہزاداکبرکاکرپشن میں مرکزی کردار
شہزاداکبر پرغیر قانونی اسکیم کاماسٹرمائنڈ بن کرپاکستان کومالی نقصان پہنچانےکاالزام ہے،ذرائع#ARYNews pic.twitter.com/FYfYyyqZ8p
— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) July 12, 2025Official travel records show Akbar made two strategic visits to the UK in 2019, meeting with the UK Home Secretary and NCA Director General. During these meetings, he allegedly negotiated a secret framework for fund repatriation that deliberately excluded critical Pakistani institutions, including the FBR, FIA, and State Bank.
Despite presenting the agreement to Pakistan’s cabinet on December 3, 2019, Akbar had already executed the confidential deed weeks earlier. Investigators assert this timeline proves deliberate concealment of facts from government oversight bodies. The funds were transferred days before cabinet approval following a private meeting between Akbar, then-PM Imran Khan, and principal secretary Azam Khan.
Read: Imran Khan’s £190 Million Case’s Verdict Expected Today
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has declared Akbar a proclaimed offender after he failed to appear for trial. The reference alleges the accused collectively deprived Pakistan of approximately Rs50 billion (£190 million). Eight individuals, including former PM Imran Khan and his wife, face charges, with six already declared absconders.
The UK’s NCA originally froze £120 million in December 2018 under suspicion of money laundering by two Pakistani nationals. The subsequent settlement agreement, negotiated by Akbar’s ARU, became controversial when funds disappeared into private accounts instead of supporting public welfare as intended.
