Sharif, sons, daughter again fail to appear before anti-graft body

lahore — Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members on Sunday failed for the second time to appear before the country’s top anti-graft body which wants to interrogate them over money laundering and corruption charges revealed by the Panama Papers.

“Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his children — Hassan, Hussain, Maryam — and his sonin-law Capt (retd) Safdar were summoned to appear before the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) today but none of them turned up,” NAB spokesperson Asim Ali Nawazish said.

Sharif, his children and his sonin-law were summoned on Sunday in a case that primarily revolves around Maryam being a beneficiary of offshore firms.

Sharif and his sons, Hassan and Hussain, were summoned on Friday in a separate case involving graft and money laundering charges and had failed to appear before the NAB.

Ali said the NAB would continue summoning the Sharif family in different cases involving money laundering and corruption charges.

“We are investigating the Sharif family in different corruption cases on the order of the Supreme Court,” he said.

Sharif, in a letter to NAB, has said he would join its investigation after a decision by the Supreme Court on his review petition against its July 28 verdict to disqualify him from premiership.

“My family members and I will join the NAB investigation once the Supreme Court decides my review petition against my disqualification,” Sharif had said in the letter.

On July 28, a five-member Supreme Court bench disqualified Sharif from continuing in his office for possessing a work permit at the firm of his son in the UAE.

Sharif has also sought a stay from the Supreme Court on the further implementation of the judgement till a decision on the review petition is taken.

The apex court is likely to take up Sharif’s review petition early next month after the judges vacation.

According to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted by Supreme Court to investigate the offshore properties of the Sharif family, Maryam was found to be the beneficial owner of Avenfield Properties as well as offshore companies of Nescoll & Nielsen.

The JIT report has also charged Maryam for submitting fake/falsified documents to it which is a criminal offence.

“Maryam Safdar has submitted fake/falsified documents to the JIT which is a criminal offence. These documents are decoys to manipulate facts and camouflage truth,” says the conclusion of the findings of the JIT report. — PTI