Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: After hearing the Avenfield reference against the Sharif family for nine-and-a-half months, the accountability court has reserved its verdict to be announced on the coming Friday (July 6).

As the court resumed hearing of the case on Tuesday, Advocate Amjad Pervez, counsel for Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retd) Safdar, presented his final arguments. He was directed by judge Mohammad Bashir in the last hearing of the case on June 29 to conclude his arguments on July 2. However, the hearing on Monday (July 2) was adjourned after Advocate Pervaiz remained unable to wrap up his arguments.

Continuing his argument, the defence counsel said that Wajid Zia had hired the services of his cousin, a UK-based solicitor, in the Panama Papers case, ‘which was a classic example of nepotism’.

Pervez said the Supreme Court in its May 5 order had empowered the JIT to engage experts but the JIT hired Raja, a solicitor. “Raja took legal privilege when asked to disclose his fee but in his own communication on behalf of the JIT, he asked a fellow solicitor in UK, the amount charged by him from Hussain Nawaz,” he said, adding Raja did only three things for JIT – sent an email to a solicitor Jeremy Freeman, engaged forensic expert Robert Radley and authored a commentary.

Pervaiz argued further that there was nothing on record justifying the hiring of a solicitor’s services to send an email and there was no plausible explanation for not having engaged Radley directly or through the Foreign Office. He said Raja didn’t have any personal knowledge of the events and his commentary was mere opinion. He said Raja had ‘congratulated Zia following his appointment as the JIT head’.

The defence counsel also pointed out that Raja’s CV was not on record to show what kind of expert he was, and if he was previously engaged in any high-profile or important case before being hired in Panamagate case.

Concluding his case, Pervez said that the JIT deliberately ignored witnesses such as management of Minerva Services, which was the registered director of Nielson and Nescol off-shore companies that owned the Avenfield apartments. He claimed that the government of British Virgin Island (BVI) had rejected the request for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) sent by the JIT seeking information regarding the London apartments but the investigation team concealed this information in the JIT report. About the evidence brought on court record, he pointed out that it was ‘third-hand’ evidence since it comprised old documents and was already available even before the existence of the JIT. He said the prosecution had failed to bring any evidence to substantiate whether Maryam Nawaz or retired Capt Safdar were beneficial owner of the London apartments.

Afterwards, the court directed the accused persons to ensure their presence on July 6, and adjourned the proceedings.

Nawaz Sharif’s sons, Hasan and Hussain, have already been declared absconders in the case.

Sharif and other accused were asked 127 questions. While no witness appeared before the court on behalf of the defence, the authorities recorded statements of 18 prosecution witnesses, two of whom recorded statements through a video-link from London. The court conducted 107 hearings over the past nine-and-a-half months. Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz attended 78 hearings, whereas defence counsels cross-examined Wajid Zia, the head of Panama case joint investigation team (JIT), for around two weeks.

Last week, Sharif’s counsel, Khawaja Haris, had also concluded his final arguments.

The former premier and his daughter remain in London where Begum Kulsoom Nawaz is under treatment for throat cancer. On Monday, the court had granted them an additional two-day exemption from proceedings.

The accountability trial against the Sharif family had started on September 14, 2017. The three references pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Limited, and Avenfield properties of London.

Nawaz Sharif and his sons, Hussain Nawaz and Hasan Nawaz, are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.

Published in Daily Times, July 4^th 2018.