Nawaz Sharif was employee of UAE-based firm, says counsel
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has admitted before the Supreme Court that he had worked for a UAE-based company till 2013 and also had a work permit (Iqama) for it at the time.
In a written reply submitted in the apex court through his counsels Khawaja Haris, Amjad Pervaiz and Saad Hashmi, Sharif rejected the allegation that he had concealed his employment as claimed by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the ruling family’s offshore assets.
“The Iqama and Respondent No 1 (Prime minister)’s employment with Capital FZE is reflected in the copies of his passport annexed with the nomination forms submitted for the General Elections 2013,” reads the reply submitted on Saturday just a day after the top court reserved its judgment in the Panamagate case, Dawn reported.
On Friday, Khawaja Haris requested a three-judge bench of the top court to allow them to submit a written response to the JIT findings.
Earlier, instead of responding to the JIT’s damning report with regard to his and his family’s alleged graft, Sharif had raised legal objections to the JIT report and its members. However, in his fresh reply, the Prime Minister told the apex court that his son, Hassan Nawaz, was “owner, director & secretary and the authorised signatory” of Capital FZE.
“Respondent No 1 was neither a shareholder in, nor a director or a secretary of Capital FZE. Nor was he ever an authorised signatory of the company,” it adds.
Giving an explanation regarding his designation as Capital FZE’s “Chairman of the Board”, the Prime Minister told the bench that this was only a ceremonial office acquired in 2007 when he was in exile, and had nothing to do with the running of the company or supervising its affairs.