ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) additional director Wajid Zia on Monday resumed recording his statement in the Al-Azizia reference against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday.
Zia, the head of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed in the Panama Papers case, has already testified in the Avenfield properties reference.
Since Nawaz Sharif had reached the court of the Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir before Zia began recording the statement, he was allowed to leave the courtroom. As the hearing went underway, Zia mentioned the JIT’s correspondence with the UAE government regarding the Gulf Steel Mills. At this, Sharif’s counsel Khawaja Haris objected, saying that that the JIT reports could not be accepted as evidence.
The hearing was later adjourned for a day.
Former PM Nawaz Sharif and his family are facing three corruption references – Al Azizia, Avenfield, and Flagship. These were filed in the accountability court following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case last year.
On Friday, Zia presented details of cheques given by the former premier to his daughter Maryam Nawaz. These stated that on March 27, Nawaz gave Maryam a cheque of Rs40 million, on February 14, another cheque of Rs5 million, and a third cheque of Rs37 million on May 10, 2016.
Last week, during the hearing of the Avenfield reference, Judge Bashir had remarked that decisions in all three references against the accused would be announced together.
The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017. The NAB had initially filed interim references in all three cases and later added supplementary references with new evidence and witnesses.
Nawaz and sons – Hussain and Hasan – are accused in all three references, whereas Maryam Nawaz and Capt (retd) Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference.
The two sons, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court. The initial deadline of six months was extended for a two-month period after the judge requested the apex court. Later, a second plea for extension of deadline was approved by the Supreme Court, which gave a month to both sides to finish the corruption cases.
Published in Daily Times, May 15th 2018.
