Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Counsel for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday accused the accountability court judge of tampering with the record in Al-Azizia and Hill Metal Establishment references, a private TV channel reported.

During cross-examination of the joint investigation team (JIT) head Wajid Zia, Khawaja Harris alleged that judge Arshad Malik had made changes in the statement of JIT’s chief on the instance of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi. This, he added, was done during the cross-examination of the witness without providing him an opportunity to contest the prosecutor’s assertion.

“I will not continue … I will ask Mian Sahab [Nawaz Sharif] to change lawyer … I will not become a party to the proceedings … these proceedings have become farcical,” Harris said before leaving the courtroom. “I will not allow any court to tamper with the record,” he said, adding the court made the changes without listening to him. He said the judge should have listened to NAB’s objection, taken the answer and written a new sentence instead of changing the previous one. But the judge simply changed the sentence on NAB prosecutor’s objection, he added.

“The learned court changed the already recorded answer given by the witness in cross-examination by deleting the words “it is incorrect to suggest” and adding another sentence as part of this witness’s statement in the form of a suggestion,” four associates of Harris stated in an application seeking adjournment till Monday to enable the defence team to avail remedy against the change.

The application read that the defence intends to challenge the change made in the recording of the deposition of Zia and to put the record straight. The counsel prayed for adjournment so that they could avail a remedy from the Islamabad High Court, which was granted.

Earlier during the proceedings, Wajid Zia refrained from answering questions posed by Khawaja Harris. “Harris Sb is asking technical questions which I can only answer based on my general knowledge so there can be mistakes,” Zia told court. Following this, Nawaz’s counsel asked Zia whether the JIT sought a financial statement from Saudi authorities of audited accounts of Hill Metal Establishment. “I will have to check the record before answering this,” the witness responded. “The Mutual League Assistance (MLA) agreement written to Saudi authorities is in Volume 10 of the report and I do not have access to it right now,” he added.

Accepting Zia and the prosecutor’s request, the court directed that the related part of Volume 10 be presented. As the court went on a brief break, it directed that Nawaz be taken back to Adiala jail where he is currently serving his sentence.

The Adiala Jail authorities then informed the court that they cannot present former prime minister Nawaz Sharif before it for the hearing on Friday owing to security fears in the wake of arrival of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) rally in the federal capital and sought an exemption. The judge remarked that he was already considering granting exemption.

Published in Daily Times, August 31^st 2018.