Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad accountability court on Tuesday issued second summons to the Sharif family, directing it to appear on September 26 to face the corruption references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against them in compliance with the Supreme Court’s orders in Panama Papers case verdict.

In response to court’s earlier summons, no member of the Sharif family turned up on Tuesday. At the outset of the hearing, NAB prosecutor submitted an implementation report before the court pertaining to the details of summons issued to the accused family.

He informed judge Muhammad Bashir that despite efforts NAB’s officials carrying summons were not allowed entry into Sharif family’s multiple homes in Lahore, thus they had to hand over the summons to the security guards at each of the properties.

The prosecutor said summons was received by a security officer deputed at the residence of the Sharif family. He said the security officer told NAB officials that Hussain and Hassan Nawaz had instructed him not to receive the summons, adding that the summons were sent to the correct address of Sharif family.

“The summons was issued for the accused and not for the security officer and guards,” the judge said. “Don’t take the process of getting the summons received for-granted by delivering the summons to the security officer next time and get the job done,” the judge observed, adding that it was a criminal not civil court. He said the statement of the security officer should also be on record if the summons was delivered to him.

The court turned down the prosecutor’s plea of issuing arrest warrants of the accused to ensure their presence before the court next time.

The court directed that summons be pasted in front of Sharif family’s residence in Lahore. The court directed the NAB’s investigation officer to trace Hassan and Hussain’s London residence addresses and send them summons there.

The court directed Senator Asif Kirmani, a PML-N leader and Nawaz’s political adviser, who appeared on notice on behalf of the Sharif family, that he should make the Sharif family members aware of the summons against them.

Kirmani, however, stated that the Sharifs could not appear as they were in London with Kulsoom Nawaz who was recovering from a surgery. He stated that Kulsoom is scheduled to undergo another surgery, thus an exact date for the family’s return could not be ascertained. The court later adjourned further hearing till September 26.

Published in Daily Times, September 20^th 2017.