ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan said on Tuesday that the documents submitted by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) were not even related to the case which was being heard.
A five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, resumed hearing of the petitions seeking a probe into the Panama Leaks and disqualification of Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. The next hearing of the case has been postponed till November 17, Thursday.
Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, who was also part of the larger bench, commented that the documents submitted by PTI also contained clippings from newspapers. He said that the petitioner himself had buried the truth.
“Newspaper clippings cannot be considered as evidence,” he said.
Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali remarked that documents consisting of 1600 pages from one party were submitted while the other party to the case had submitted 700 pages.
“We are not computer machines in which you feed paper and the answer immediately comes out,” he said.
The Chief Justice also said that so many documents had been submitted that it was difficult to tell which ones were fake and which were authentic. He said that in the current scenario, it was not possible for the court to give a verdict before six months.
The Chief Justice stated that the blame arising due to the failure of NAB should not be placed on the Supreme Court. He claimed that time and again, the Supreme Court had clarified that it was not an investigating institute.
Advocate Akram Sheikh said that he was the attorney of the Prime Minister’s children. Sheikh said that he would cooperate with the Supreme Court without caring about the result of the case. He stated that Maryam Safdar was not the beneficiary of the offshore companies but a trustee.
Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed stated that if the documents had been submitted by the Sharif family on Monday, then the bench could have had a chance to go through them.
On Monday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz had replaced their lawyer Salman Ahmad Butt with Akram Sheikh. PTI had also submitted what it referred to as ‘evidence’ of money laundering against PM Nawaz Sharif, at the Supreme Court. On the last hearing, the court had directed the petitioners and respondents to file documents related to properties and off-shore companies revealed in the Panama Papers Leaks by November 15.
The documents provided to the court by the PM’s sons confirmed the agreement between Maryam Safdar and Hussain Nawaz.
Under the deal, signed on 2nd February, 2006, Maryam Safdar is the ‘Trustee’ and Hussain Nawaz is the ‘Beneficiary Owner’ of the Trust holding offshore companies and in case of Hussain’s death, Maryam is bound to distribute the properties accordingly.
Nawaz Sharif’s children had earlier claimed during the initial proceedings that all three of them were not dependent on their father.
The court had ruled that the respondents, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz and his son-in-law and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, had to satisfy it as to when the properties and entities were acquired, how money was transferred from Pakistan and who paid and from which bank account it was spent.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday filed 686 pages of documents as evidence but relied on the paper book of journalist Asad Kharral on the PanamaLeaks. Kharral had also filed a petition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the PanamaLeaks but the bench dismissed it on November 2.
The documents submitted to the court on Monday by the PTI contain the details of bank accounts and billions of rupees loan write-offs. The evidence mentioned that from 1988 to 1991, the Sharif family transferred Rs56,896 million through ‘hundi’.
The court was informed that the Sharif family through money laundering shifted Rs 145 million abroad while during the period paid Rs 887 as income tax. It was submitted that the said money was not declared in the tax return.
Money was not transferred abroad: Sharif family lawyer
ISLAMABAD: The newly-appointed lawyer of Maryam Safdar, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz in the Panama Leaks case, stated on Tuesday that money had never been shifted abroad at any time from Pakistan.
Speaking to media personnel outside the Supreme Court, advocate Akram Sheikh said that Maryam Nawaz was not the beneficiary of the offshore companies but was a trustee. He also stated that she was not dependent on her father Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Akram Sheikh said that PTI’s lawyer had now demanded additional time.
“We were being blamed for using delaying tactics. However, today, PTI’s lawyer demanded more time from the Supreme Court,” he said.
Akram Sheikh also said that he was not the lawyer of Nawaz Sharif but his children.
“If you have any questions pertaining to the Prime Minister, then please refer them to Salman Ahmad Butt,” he said.
Proceedings regarding the Panama Leaks and Prime Minister’s disqualification were held earlier during the day. The Supreme Court postponed further hearing of the case till November 17.
The court had remarked that the ‘evidence’ submitted by the PTI consisted of newspaper clippings. The Supreme Court had also criticized the evidence submitted by PTI by stating that most of it was not related to the case at all.
Will get justice from SC in Panama case: Kh. Asif
ISLAMABAD : Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said that both the parties in Panama case are now before the highest court of the country and are defending their stance.
While talking to media in Islamabad, he said that that they will once again get justice from Supreme Court (SC) like they received it before.
He expressed complete trust in Supreme Court over Panama Papers case.
The minister said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has presented himself for accountability in every forum including Parliament and Judiciary.
He criticized Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and said that their claims have come out hollow.
To a question, he said it is work of the Supreme Court to decide about credibility of the evidence.
Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique declared Sheikh Rasheed as unfit for politics.
“If someone advises you to adopt another profession even after having 40 years experience of politics, then it is not an admiration but a hint that the person is not fit for politics,” he said without naming him.
He said that PTI is divergent to justice.
“There is no cure for jealousy and envy but we are trying to prepare a burnol for Imran Khan,” he said.
Government ministers have suggested that PTI is indulge in the politics of accusations and will not even receive the votes in next elections that they were able to acquire before.
