World

Impaired Driver may have Caused Series of Crashes on I-41

Published

5 years ago

October 9, 2020

An impaired driver may have caused several severe accidents in Wisconsin on Fathers’ Day. On June 21, 2020, emergency personnel responded to major accidents on the I-41 highway, near Slinger, Wisconsin. Included in the accidents was a three-car collision which resulted in two vehicles becoming engulfed in flames. Three individuals were transported to seek immediate medical attention. Following the accident, police arrived on the scene and arrested one individual for intoxicated driving.

Details of the Accident

According to Wisconsin State Patrol officials, an intoxicated driver was heading northbound from the US 45 interstate split to WIS 60 highway in Washington County on the evening of Fathers’ Day. Officials say that the driver initially collided with a large camping trailer, causing debris to cover the I-41 highway. Despite causing shutdowns on some lanes of the highway, no individuals were injured in the initial collision. The intoxicated driver then fled the scene and continued down the roadway.

Following the preliminary accident, the intoxicated driver caused another major accident shortly after the first collision. The second accident resulted in a three-car collision and severe injuries. Emergency responders including fire fighters, police, and emergency medical technicians arrived on the scene of the accident. One individual was transported by an emergency helicopter to a local hospital. Additionally, two other individuals were transported by emergency medical services to receive treatment for injuries resulting from the accident.

“Accidents involving intoxicated drivers could be especially dangerous for several reasons,” said attorney Ronald F. Wittmeyer, Jr. of the Law Offices of R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd. “Intoxication may reduce a driver’s reaction time, concentration, and ability to accurately see objects in front of them. Additionally, intoxication may increase feelings of drowsiness or a desire to take risks. As a result, these injuries could lead to severe injuries or fatalities.”

Police Investigation and Arrest

The fires caused by the collisions resulted in the total shutdown of all traffic lanes on the I-41 northbound highway. Officials say that while severe injuries resulted from the accidents, no fatalities occurred. Additionally, no children were involved in the automobile crashes.

Following the series of accidents, the officers from the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Washington County Sheriff arrived to investigate the accidents. After an initial investigation, a 31-year-old individual was arrested on several charges. This includes operating while intoxicated (OWI), possession of narcotics, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Prevalence of Intoxicated Driving in Wisconsin

According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), nearly 24,000 individuals were convicted of an operating while intoxicated charge in 2015. While a majority of those convicted were above the legal age to consume alcohol, roughly 7 percent of overall OWI convictions occurred with individuals under the age of 21. The median alcohol concentration results for those who received an OWI citation in 2015 was around 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit while operating a vehicle in Wisconsin. Overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identified Wisconsin as the 4^th most prevalent state for alcohol-impaired driving compared to the rest of the United States.

In 2015, intoxicated driving contributed to over 5,000 alcohol-related automobile accidents in Wisconsin, resulting in nearly 3,000 recorded injuries. Additionally, of the 390 drivers who died as a result of a traffic fatality, over 120 tested positive for alcohol and 108 were found to be legally intoxicated at the time of the accident. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation found that alcohol was a contributing circumstance in over 48 percent of traffic-related deaths.

Tips to Avoid Intoxicated Driving

There are several actions that individuals could take to reduce the prevalence of intoxicated driving in Wisconsin. This includes actions such as choosing a designated driver before going to a restaurant or bar, not drinking alcohol if dining alone, or utilizing ride-hailing services such as Uber, Lyft, or taxis. Proactive individuals could also refuse to get in a car with an intoxicated driver or hold on to a friend’s car keys if they have recently consumed alcohol and plan on driving.

Additionally, there are numerous warning signs that drivers could look out for to detect drunk drivers traveling on roadways. Being familiar with some common signs of intoxicated drivers may help prevent a person from becoming involved in an automobile accident. Drunk drivers may frequently drift in traffic lanes, drive on the wrong side of the road, or make sudden or erratic stops.

World

TRG Chairman Khaishgi and CEO Aslam implicated in $150 million fraud

Published

7 days ago

June 23, 2025

Jenny Jackson

In a scathing 52-page decision, the Sindh High Court has found that TRG Pakistan’s management was acting fraudulently and that Bermuda-based Greentree Holdings historic and prospective purchase of TRG shares were illegal, fraudulent and oppressive.

The Sindh High Court has further directed TRGP to immediately hold board elections that have been overdue and illegally withheld by the existing board since January 14, 2025.

In the landmark ruling, the Sindh High Court has blocked the attempted takeover of TRG Pakistan Limited by Greentree Holdings, declaring that the shares acquired by Greentree, nearly 30% of TRG’s stock, were unlawfully financed using TRG’s funds in violation of Section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2017.

“Having concluded that the affairs of TRGP are being conducted in an unlawful and fraudulent manner and in a manner oppressive to members such as the Petitioner (Zia Chishti), the case falls for corrective orders under sub-section (2) of section 286 of the Companies Act,” Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry concluded.

The case was brought by TRGP former CEO and founder Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur Zia Chishti against TRG Pakistan, its associate TRG International and TRG International’s wholly-owned shell company Greentree Limited. In addition, the case named AKD Securities for managing Greentree’s illegal tender offer as well as various regulators requiring that they act to perform their regulatory duties.

The case centred around the dispute that shell company Greentree Limited was fraudulently using TRG Pakistan’s own funds to purchase TRG Pakistan’s shares in order to give control to Zia Chishti’s former partners Mohammed Khaishgi, Hasnain Aslam and Pinebridge Investments.

According to the case facts, the Chairman of TRG Pakistan Mohammed Khaishgi and the CEO of TRG Pakistan Hasnain Aslam masterminded the $150 million fraud. They did so together with Hong Kong based fund manager Pinebridge who has two nominees on TRG Pakistan’s board, Mr. John Leone and Mr. Patrick McGinnis.

According to the court papers, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis set up a shell company called Greentree which they secretly controlled and from which they started buying up shares of TRG Pakistan. The fraud was that Greentree was using TRG Pakistan’s funds itself. The idea was to give Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis control over TRG Pakistan even though they owned less than 1% of the company, lawyers of the petitioner told the court.

This was all part of a broader battle for control over TRG Pakistan that is raging between Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis on one side and TRG Pakistan founder Zia Chishti on the other side. Zia Chishti has been trying to retake control of TRG Pakistan after he was forced to resign in 2021 based on sexual misconduct allegations made by a former employee of his. This year those allegations were shown to be without basis in litigation that Chishti launched in the United Kingdom against The Telegraph newspaper which had printed the allegations. The Telegraph was forced to apologize for 13 separate articles it published about Chishti and paid him damages and legal costs.

After Chishti resigned in 2021, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis moved to take total control over TRG Pakistan and its various subsidiaries including TRG International and to block out Chishti. The Sindh High Court’s ruling today has reversed that effort, ruling the scheme fraudulent, illegal, and oppressive.

It now appears that Zia Chishti will take control of TRG Pakistan in short order when elections are called. He and his family are now the largest shareholders with over 30% interest. He is closely followed by companies related to Jahangir Siddiqui & Company which have over a 20% interest. The result appears to be a complete vindication for Zia Chishti and damning for his rivals Aslam, Khaishgi, Leone, and McGinnis who have been ruled to have been conducting a fraud.

TRG Pakistan’s share price declined by over 8% on the news on heavy volume. Market experts say that this was because the tender offer at Rs 75 was gone and that now shares would trade closer to their natural value. Presently the shares are trading at Rs 59 per share.

According to the court ruling, since 2021, shell company Greentree had purchased approximately 30% of TRG shares using $80 million of TRG’s own money, which means that that the directors of TRG Pakistan allowed company assets to be funneled through offshore affiliates TRG International and Greentree for acquiring TRG’s shares – a move deemed both fraudulent and oppressive to minority shareholders. The Sindh High Court also found illegal Greentree’s further attempt to purchase another 35% of TRG shares using another $70 million of TRG’s money in a tender offer.

The ruling is a major victory for the tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti against his former partners and the legal ruling paves the way for him to take control of TRG in a few weeks.