ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) investigation officer in the Avenfield properties case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family informed the court on Friday that the reference was filed on the basis of material gathered by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
He said he had not requested any further material from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or the NAB.
Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir is hearing three corruption references against Nawaz and his family. As the hearing went under way, Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris resumed his cross-examination of NAB investigation officer (IO) Imran Dogar, the last prosecution witness, in the Avenfield properties reference.
Dogar also informed the court of NAB’s procedure of lodging cases and holding inquiries.
He said that at the time of filing of interim references against the Sharifs, the bureau did not receive any response on its mutual legal assistance requests.
After Haris completed the cross-examination, the hearing was adjourned until May 7.
At the next hearing, Maryam Nawaz’s counsel will begin his cross-examination of the investigation officer.
Nawaz Sharif and his family are facing three corruption cases in the accountability court on the basis of NAB references against them following the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case.
During cross-examination on Thursday, Dogar had shared details of NAB’s investigation and issuance of mutual legal assistance requests to the UK authorities regarding the ownership of the London flats and offshore companies.
Dogar informed the court that Nawaz was the benami [actual but not on paper] owner of the Nielsen and Nescoll offshore companies. He had earlier recorded his statement in the court and stated that the NAB investigation proved that Nawaz was the owner of the London flats.
“The properties were purchased through offshore companies in someone else’s name [to hide ownership],” Dogar said.
The accountability trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017, with a six-month deadline.
The corruption references, filed against the Sharifs, pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and Avenfield properties of London.
Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.
The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.
The court originally had a deadline of six months which ended in mid-March but was extended for two months after the judge requested the apex court.
Published in Daily Times, May 5th 2018.
