Panama Papers case: Sharif family counsel continues arguments
Sharif family counsel will resume his arguments in the Panama Papers case today.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The three-member bench of the Supreme Court has resumed hearing of the Panama Papers case today (Tuesday) following the submission of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report.
Lawyer Khawaja Harris, representing the prime minister before the apex bench, is presenting his arguments over the JIT report.
Earlier on Monday, the bench heard arguments from lawyers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and Sheikh Rashid. Presenting the arguments in Supreme Court (SC) over Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Naeem Bokhari said that the team had found contradiction in the statements of Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz and his cousin Tariq Shafi regarding Gulf Steel Mills issue.
Bokhari said that JIT was tasked to search answers of thirteen questions among which five were only related to Gulf Steel Mills. The investigation committee had termed Tariq Shafi’s statement as fake, he continued.
PTI lawyer argued that the team had also declared giving 12 million dirham to the Qatari family as story whereas it also found the agreement of selling Gulf Steel Mills’ shares as self-made.
Justice Azmat asked Bokhari about the source of Free Zone Establishment company’s (FZE) documents over which he said that they were received by legal assistance. He said the company had also issued Nawaz Sharif’s iqama.
Justice Ijaz-ul-Hassan said that the duration of PM’s iqama expired in 2015 over which Naeem Bokhari said that Hassan claimed the company was demolished in 2014.
He said that Sharif brothers failed to provide Jeddah Mills documents and Hill Metal audit report to the JIT. He said that record of legal assistance from United Arab Emirates is present in report’s volume 10.
Will also made volume 10 public if needed, said Justice Ejaz Afzal.
Justice Ijaz said that the documents on which JIT relied for Hill Metal report were not verified.
Meanwhile, the bench expressed resentment over ruckus in the court from the lawyers.
On the other hand, PM has also submitted reservations over JIT report in SC while Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar has also challenged it, saying they have been directed to file their reservations in court’s registrar office.
