Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday produced two more of its witnesses in the corruption references against Nawaz Sharif and his family members.

When court judge Muhammad Bashir resumed the hearing, Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Muhammad Safdar were present in the court. The court directed the NAB prosecutor to produce two more witnesses at the next hearing.

The witnesses who recorded their statements were: Ghulam Mustafa, a senior officer of a private bank, and Aziz Rehan, an assistant director of NAB. Another witness Afaq Ahmad could not record his statement on Tuesday again as he could not obtain certain documents from the SC.

In his statement, Ghulam Mustafa, stated that he had appeared before Yasir Shabbir, an investigation officer, of NAB Rawalpindi on August 22, 2017 and presented verified details of Nawaz Sharif’s bank accounts and transactions.

He stated that after receiving the documents, Yasir Shabbir had prepared a seizure memo. He said neither he had presented any record of Hill Metal Establishment, nor mentioned it in his statement.

On a previous hearing of the case, a prosecution witness Sidra Mansoor, a joint registrar of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), had made a similar statement that she had found no transactions linking the Sharif family with the Hill Metal Establishment and Al-Azizia Steel Mills.

In his statement, Aziz Rehan stated that Sidra Mansoor had appeared before NAB on August 28, 2017 and submitted documents, which pertained to Mehran Ramzan Textile Mills Limited in which there were three shareholders including Nawaz Sharif and his sons Hussain and Hassan Nawaz. In her statement, Sidra Mansoor had stated that Hussain Nawaz owned 487,400 shares in the Mehran Ramzan Textile Mills.

Aziz Rehan, however, stated that the ‘seizure memo’ against Nawaz Sharif was prepared by Mehboob Alam, an investigation officer of NAB, adding that he had also recorded his (Aziz Rehan) statement and took his signature on the seizure memo.

When the court asked Khawaja Haris, senior counsel for Nawaz Sharif, to cross-examine the witness, he said he did not want to cross-examine him.

He, however, requested the court to allow him at least a week time to read the supplementary reference filed against his client and his children as well as son-in-law by NAB on Jan 22, and prepare the arguments.

When the court declined to grant a seven day time, Khawaja Haris contended that NAB had filed a supplementary reference after four months. However, he was not being given even a week’s time to read it and prepare arguments against it.

NAB’s prosecutor requested the court to order production of two witnesses in the supplementary reference on next hearing so that the Supreme Court’s given deadline of wrapping up the references within six months could be achieved. The court then adjourned the hearing till January 30.

The Islamabad district administration and police had made strict security arrangements in and around the accountability court ahead of Nawaz Sharif and his family members’ appearance.

Nawaz Sharif was received by a number of cabinet members, leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and supporters, at his arrival at the accountability court.

The SC in its July 28, 2017 verdict in Panama Papers case had disqualified Nawaz Sharif as prime minister and directed NAB to file three corruption references against him and his family members within six weeks and asked the accountability court wrap up the proceedings within six months.

Sharif is accused in three references, which include Jeddah based Al-Azizia Steel Mills, offshore companies including Flagship Investments Ltd, and Avenfield properties in London. Maryam and Safdar are accused only in the Avenfield properties reference.

It was 14th appearance of Sharif before the accountability court. The court has so far conducted 20 hearings in the Flagship Investments and Avenfield properties references against Nawaz Sharif, whereas 22 hearings have so far been conducted in the Al-Aziza Steel Mills reference.

Published in Daily Times, January 24^th 2018.