ISLAMABAD: The larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa recommenced hearing the Panama Leaks case on Monday.
During the hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) counsel Naeem Bukhari brought forward evidence related to the beneficial ownership of the London flats.
The lawyer said that Hussain Nawaz had gifted Rs 810 million to Nawaz Sharif however no tax had been paid on the amount. He also pointed out that when Hussain moved abroad his NTN stopped working. The court in this regard said that a proof of the exchange of gifts could be demanded from the defendants, with Justice Khosa noting that NTN numbers are required in the exchange of gifts.
Bukhari further argued that it would be difficult to proceed with the case without finding out Hussain Nawaz’s undisclosed income sources. In this regard Justice Gulzar said that if the transactions had been done through the bank then there could be no objection to them.
Justice Khosa also added that there could be no question of money transfer if the property belonged to Qatar, while Justice Azmat Saeed said that the Sharifs had declared their possession of offshore companies in 2006.
Justice Azmat Saeed subsequently addressed Bukhari, noting that the counsel had still not answered one of the 16 questions that the bench had posed to him. He also pointed out to the counsel the need to satisfy the bench and not the media.
At the end of the day’s proceedings, Awami Muslim League Chairman Sheikh Rasheed said, “I have faith in Allah. I hope justice is served. The corrupt should be punished, otherwise there will be bloodshed and civil war.”
Speaking on the day’s hearing, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz member Daniyal Aziz said, “Bukhari does not have any answers to questions asked in the court.”