Pakistani Shaukat Ali’s family members get €20 million asset freeze

The family of Pakistani/Maltese citizen Shaukat Ali Abdul Ghafoor, thought to be the mastermind of the multi-million-euro scandalous hospitals deal with the government, is in further trouble as the Court ordered a freezing order on his son and wife, also facing money laundering and fraud charges.

The severity of the situation has escalated since the Court’s decision last August to impose a €30 million freezing order on Shaukat Ali himself. The Court, presided over by Magistrate Rachel Montebello, has now issued substantial freezing orders for his son and wife.

Under a new decree, Fakhra Shaukat Ali, 67, a pensioner and one of the wives of the Pakistani businessman, has had €20 million of her assets frozen.

Shaukat’s son, 38-year-old Wajid, who is also registered as living in Malta, has been hit with another €20 million freezing order to safeguard any potential public funds acquired through the fraudulent deal.

Investigations discovered millions in public funds were transferred to the family in the “fraudulent deal” that has since been annulled by the Court.

According to the Court, the members of the Ali family cannot transfer any of their property or assets up to €20 million without the Court’s consent.

The millions of funds now frozen by the Court were calculated according to the amount of public funds the accused are thought to have been fraudulently acquired through the Vitals/Steward deal.

A separate freezing order has already been imposed on two companies associated with the Pakistani businessman. Global Assets Holdings Ltd. was issued a €340,000 freezing order, while Mount Everest FZ LLC, incorporated in Dubai, has a €5 million freezing order.

According to the conclusions of a magisterial inquiry, Shaukat Ali, 73, was “the brains behind the deal”, working closely with then-OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri, using “puppets” to act as fronts in various companies and roles set up to reap personal profits from what should have been a deal to manage three of Malta’s public hospitals.

Among the many accused of committing crimes over this deal is disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat.