Norway quashes 16-year-old fraud case against Umar Farooq Zahoor

In practice, the decision was created by Norway's chief prosecuting authority after a review identified that the evidence was not solid enough to prosecute Zahoor or justify keeping the case open, according to legal documents.

Key points

• The Norwegian police clearance and an investigation report by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency were additionally cited in a May 2023 decision by Lahore Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk.
• When Zahoor was investigated over an alleged multimillion kroner fraud involving Nordea, the case dates back to 2010.
• In 2012, Oslo police closed the investigation on evidentiary grounds and recommended that the case against him be dismissed.
• Zahoor had additionally challenged Norwegian efforts to extradite him over the fraud allegations.
• "I am thankful to the prosecutor who saw through the facts and dismissed the case, which was based on untruths, " Zahoor remarked.

When Zahoor was investigated over an alleged multimillion kroner fraud involving Nordea, the case dates back to 2010. Zahoor has consistently denied any involvement in the fraud and challenged the allegations against him.

In 2012, Oslo police closed the investigation on evidentiary grounds and recommended that the case against him be dismissed. Nevertheless, prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann kept the case file open for years and continued making statements to the media, according to the documents.

In recent months, Zahoor filed legal proceedings against Hartmann, accusing him of defamation and of working with the Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang, known as VG, to target him with what Zahoor described as false allegations, but the accusations against Hartmann remain allegations.

Zahoor had additionally challenged Norwegian efforts to extradite him over the fraud allegations. According to the reports, the United Arab Emirates did not comply with Norway's extradition request since of worries over the evidence presented against him.

Notably, the Norwegian police clearance and an investigation report by Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency were additionally cited in a May 2023 decision by Lahore Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk. This person cleared Zahoor in two fraud and capital laundering cases registered against him in Pakistan in 2020.

In an official note issued through his Norwegian lawyer, Zahoor welcomed the dismissal and remarked he was relieved that the case had been closed by the same Norwegian authorities that had pursued it.

For context, the dismissal ends a long running legal matter that had remained active for more than a decade despite an earlier police recommendation to close the case.

Taken together, the developments around norway quashes 16-year-old fraud case against Umar Farooq Zahoor point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.