Lahore: The former head of the Panamagate joint investigation team (JIT), Wajid Zia has been summoned with original JIT report by the accountability court hearing corruption references against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on February 22.
Meanwhile, two United Kingdom based witnesses, Robert Radley and Raja Akhtar, would also record their statements via a video-link from the Pakistan High Commission in London.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed three corruption references against the Sharifs in September last year, following the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case that resulted in Sharif’s disqualification from the Prime Minister’s Office. The references pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship Investment Ltd and Avenfield properties in London. Nawaz Sharif’s name has been mentioned as an accused in all three cases, whereas his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law MNA Capt (retd) Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.
At the last hearing of the case in the accountability court on Feb 15, the judge had rejected Sharif’s request to be exempted from appearance from February 19 to March 5 because the family wished to travel to London to visit Nawaz’s ailing wife, Kulsoom. Nawaz’s counsel had pleaded the court to allow his client to travel to London. However, NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Muzaffar Abbasi opposed the plea citing the nearing of the March deadline by the Supreme Court to wrap up the trial.
Also on Monday, an appeal filed by Sharif against Supreme Court registrar’s objections to his earlier plea seeking clubbing on all three references to be heard together was also accepted by the Supreme Court.
The appeal will be heard by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on February 21 (tomorrow).
Earlier, the CJP had dismissed Sharif’s plea challenging the registrar’s objections but he reconsidered his decision when the former premier filed an appeal against the dismissal.
In the original plea, Sharif had requested that all three corruption references concerning Avenfield properties, Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investments be heard together.
Former PM’s counsel Azam Tarar had observed in the court that his client’s petition was rejected without a review of reasons mentioned in the detailed Islamabad High Court order. He requested the court to nullify the accountability court s decision. Further, he argued that July 28, 2017 verdict of the apex court didn’t ask NAB to file references separately.
Published in Daily Times, February 20th 2018.
