Blow to Nawaz as Pak JIT finds income ‘disparities’
Glaring disparities in Sharif’s known sources of income
In a setback to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a Supreme Court ordered probe panel in its final report on the Panamagate on Monday recommended filing of a corruption case against him and his children after finding “significant” disparities in their income and actual wealth.
The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Mr Sharif family’s business dealings in its report submitted on Monday to the apex court recommended that a reference (corruption case) should be filed against Mr Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under Section 9 of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.
The JIT report said the assets of all four respondents were found to be more than the sources of their income.
“Significant gap/disparity amongst the known and declared sources of income and the wealth accumulated by the respondent no. 1, 6, 7 and 8 have been observed," the JIT observed.
The Joint Investigation Team (JI) — probing the Panama leaks scandal — on Monday asked the Supreme Court to file a reference against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons — Hussain Nawaz and Hasan Nawaz.
The JIT found disparities between the wealth and known source of income of the respondents, the report submitted in the top court said.
The JIT submitted its 256-page report to the Supreme Court of Pakistan two months after it was formed in the light of the court’s order in Panama Papers case.
The three-member SC implementation bench, constituted as a consequence of a judgment of the Larger Bench, is headed by justice Ejaz Afzal.
The Bench said that the parties can take copies of the report from the Registrar Office.
However, on the request of the head of the JIT, it was directed that volume ten of the report should not be declassified.
The Bench said that the process of mudslinging must also stop. The implementation bench disposed of a petition filed by Hussain Nawaz regarding leak of his picture during appearance before the JIT.
The Bench said it empowered the federal government to make public name of the person responsible for photo leak and form Commission, if needed. The court said it cannot constitute a Commission on the issue.
The court also ordered registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against chairman securities and exchange commission of Pakistan Zafar Hijazi.
The three-member implementation bench later adjourned the hearing till Monday next.
The JIT team held numerous sessions at Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad during which Hussain Nawaz, elder son of the Prime Minister, appeared before it for six times; Prime Minister’s younger son Hassan Nawaz three times and his daughter Maryam Nawaz on July 5.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif himself appeared before the JIT on June 15.