In a significant legal development, the Norwegian government has officially cleared Norwegian-Pakistani businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor by closing a 16-year-old alleged corruption case against him. The decision came after Norway’s highest prosecuting authority determined there was insufficient evidence to support charges of corruption or wrongdoing.
The prosecuting body concluded that the evidence was inadequate both to proceed with prosecution and to justify keeping the case open. Consequently, the case was dismissed entirely, with authorities instructing law enforcement agencies, including the police, to withdraw any active wanted-person alerts or warrants related to Zahoor, both within Norway and internationally.
In recent months, Zahoor initiated legal action against senior Norwegian prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann, accusing him of conspiring against him over the years in collaboration with the right-wing Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang (VG). Zahoor alleged that Hartmann repeatedly disseminated defamatory and false information to media contacts, motivated by a personal vendetta.
Zahoor had previously faced charges linked to a multi-million-kroner fraud involving Nordea bank in 2010, allegations he consistently denied. He maintained his innocence through multiple legal challenges and insisted that the prosecution lacked any concrete proof of his involvement. Notably, Zahoor had not been present in Norway since 2005, five years prior to the fraud case, and the UAE government declined Norway’s extradition request due to insufficient evidence.
Norwegian authorities began investigating the case in 2010, with Zahoor cooperating through his legal representatives. By 2012, the Oslo Police recommended dismissal of the case on evidential grounds, but prosecutor Hartmann kept the investigation active and continued making media statements. Following Zahoor’s defamation lawsuit against Hartmann, the case was reviewed by the chief prosecutor, who decided within a week to close it completely.
The Oslo Police clearance, along with an investigation report from Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), also supported a May 2023 Lahore judicial magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk decision to clear Zahoor in two separate fraud and money-laundering cases filed against him in 2020.
Expressing relief, Zahoor stated through his Norwegian lawyer that he was grateful the prosecuting authority recognized the lack of truth behind the allegations and dismissed the case that had shadowed him for years.
