Altaf Khanani
Born (1961-05-02) 2 May 1961 (age 62)[1]
Karachi, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
OccupationMoney launderer
Criminal penalty68 months in prison
Criminal statusImprisoned
Children5

Altaf Khanani (Urdu: الطاف خانانی; born 2 May 1961) is a Pakistani money launderer who was involved in moving money for terrorist groups and criminal gang groups.[2] After serving three years in prison he was released in July 2020.[3]

Early life and family

He was born in 1961 to a Memon family who were originally from Gujarat, India before migrating to Pakistan after independence.[1] His father Abdul Sattar Khanani was a street dealer and businessman.[1] He was the twin brother of Javed Khanani who was involved in Khanani and Kalia International fraud.[1] His brother allegedly committed suicide in 2016.[4]

Money laundering

Khanani's money laundering organisation was involved in the illicit international movement of money between, among others, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.[5] Among the methods used was the traditional Hawala system. Among others, the organization moved money for drug cartels, biker gangs, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and the armed terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks of 1993 and 2008.[6][7]

Arrest

Khanani was arrested in September 2016 in Panama by the US Drug Enforcement Administration,[6] and transported to jail in the United States.[5] He was indicted in the US District Court of the Southern District of Florida on fourteen counts of money laundering in June 2015.[5] In a plea bargain, Khanani pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit laundering. His sentence included 68 months in prison, a $250,000 fine,[8][6] blacklisting by the United States along with his son Obaid Khanani and nephew Hozaifa Khanani,[5] and his money laundering network has been designated as a Transnational Criminal Organization under the SDN by the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Its addresses included Australia, Canada, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.[9] Khanani was released from prison on July 13, 2020.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Besser, Linton (5 February 2018). "Catching the money man". ABC News. Australia. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018.
  2. ^ "How Australia trapped Altaf Khanani". The News International. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018.
  3. ^ (B.O.P. Register Number: 06369-104)
  4. ^ Ali, Imtiaz (4 December 2016). "Javed Khanani dies after falling from building in Karachi, say police". Dawn. Archived from the original on 14 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Iqbal, Anwar (4 March 2017). "Khanani group launders billions of dollars: US report". Dawn. Archived from the original on 4 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Schliebs, Mark (13 November 2016). "Money launderer Khanani's deal wipes out 273 years of jail time". The Australian. Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  7. ^ "The Billion Dollar Criminal". Al Jazeera. 4 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018.
  8. ^ Husain, Khurram (4 April 2017). "Khanani gets 68 months in US prison". Dawn. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017.
  9. ^ "ALTAF KHANANI MONEY LAUNDERING ORGANIZATION". sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
  10. ^ (B.O.P. Register Number: 06369-104)


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