Islamabad (May 31, 2018): Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head and prosecution’s main witness Wajid Zia on Thursday said he did not come across any document during the investigation which showed that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is the owner of Al-Azizia Steel Mills.
The was stated by Wajid Zia during the hearing of the Al Azizia Reference against Sharif Family during cross-examination.
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As per the bank statement, Nawaz’s son Hussain Nawaz sent him an amount worth US$1.1 million as a ‘gift’ from July 5, 2010, to June 30, 2011. “It is true that the dollars sent to Nawaz were a gift from his son,” Zia remarked.
Nawaz should have declared the amount in the wealth statement for 2010-2011, Zia added.
The National Accountability Bureau prosecutor Wasiq Malik remarked that there is no need to compare the bank statement with tax record, adding “our case is different”.
Zia, who is appearing before the court of accountability judge Muhammad Bashir, has already recorded his statement in both Avenfield and Al-Azizia references against the Sharif family.
The hearing of the case was adjourned till June 1(tomorrow).
During Last hearing of May 15, the prosecution’s star witness in the Al Azizia reference, Wajid Zia, completed recording his statement in the accountability court.
Zia, a Federal Investigation Agency additional director, headed the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family’s assets last year.
He has already testified in the Avenfield properties reference.
Background Of The Cases:
The trial against the Sharif family 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.
NAB had earlier filed interim references in all three cases and later added supplementary references to them with new evidence and witnesses.
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.
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