Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Maryam Safdar, daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has prepared her reply to counter a document of emails between Mossack Fonseca and British Virgin Island (BVI)’s Financial Investigation Agency (FIA) produced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the top court pertaining to Panamagate case.

The document, submitted by PTI, had claimed that the series of emails reaffirmed that, contrary to the stance of Maryam Safdar before the apex court in previous hearings, she [Maryam] is and has been the ultimate beneficial owner of Nielsen and Nescoll and the Mayfair apartments.

The PIT had also submitted a letter of reference addressed to Minerva Financial Services Limited on December 3, 2005 by the Samba Financial Group, claiming that the letter had revealed that Maryam was employing the services of the Minerva Financial Services Limited in 2005, and hence was the beneficial owner of the Mayfair apartments even in 2005.

“The trust deed being relied upon before the top court is therefore fabricated and false,” the document submitted by PTI stated.

However, in the four-page reply, Maryam Safdar said that the trust deed pertaining to settlement of Neilson and Nescoll was done in the presence of solicitors and witnesses. It is pertinent to mention here that the draft reply has not yet been submitted, but it is likely to be filed soon in Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Maryam Safdar stated that the settlement between the Al-thani family and Hussain Nawaz came into effect in January 2006 after which the trust deed was drawn up and signed by her on February 2, 2006 in Jeddah, which was witnessed by her husband Muhammad Safdar.

The trust deed was then sent to London where it was signed by Hussain Nawaz on February 4, 2006 and witnessed by Waqar Ahmed and Solicitor Jeremy Freeman, the reply further stated. Maryam in her reply stated that the copy of trust deed was not sent to the Minerva Financial Services Ltd. “A letter on January 5, 2017 from the Jeremy Freedman confirms execution of trust deed on January 4, 2006, stated the reply which is yet to be filed in top court by her counsel. ‘The Personal Information Form received from the Minerva Financial Services in October 2011 was filled and signed by her as the authorised signatory as empowered to do so in terms of the ‘trust deed’ and not as beneficial owner,” it further stated.

The reply further stated that this form also mentioned Solicitor Jeremy Freeman as the reference person, the same solicitor who witnessed the trust deed in 2006. “Had Mossack Fonseca cared to refer the BVI’s FIA letter to respondent (Maryam Safdar) before sending replies, the correct position would have been explained to them and they would not have fallen into error,” the reply argued.