ISLAMABAD: The five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa adjourned the hearing the petitions seeking disqualification of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif over the involvement of his children in what has come to know better as Panama Papers adjourned the hearing of the case till tomorrow with the direction to the Attorney general to wrap up his arguments by tomorrow.
At the close of hearing today Justice Khosa said that the court wants to complete the hearing of the case at the earliest and that the court would not accept any more documents though opportunity for rebuttal would be provided.
Justice Ijaz Afzal commented during the hearing that if the institutions have been working so much time has not been spent on this case.
As directed by the larger bench comprising Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmad, Justice Azmat Saeed Shaikh, and Justice Ijaz-ul-Hassan on the last hearing Chairman NAB Qamar-uz-Zaman and Chairman FBR Muhammad Irshad appeared in the court today and recorded their statements.
Chairman NAB filed all the record at the court yesterday. this included Hudabiya Paper Mills reference and Raiwind Estate Reference.
Meanwhile, the prime minister and his children filed another application in the court today pleading not to make additional documents submitted by Imran Khan a part of the case record. The application also pleads that if the court decides to make the said documents a part of record eight weeks time shuld be granted.
At the start of the hearing today when Justice Khosa asking Chairman FBR just what is its role over offshore companies added that it is a settled matter that establishing offshoer an offshore company is not wrong he replied that FBR has tried to establish contacts through the Interior ministry. There is no treatty with the related country over Panama issue, he added.
Justice Azmat Saeed asked chairman FBR when FBR contacted the interior ministry adding that why it took the FBR to contact the Interior ministry whose office is just 200 yards away from its own office. He also asked chairman FBR when did it issue notices to the owners of offshore companies named in Panama Leaks to which he said that FBR issued the notices on September 2, 2016. The notices were issued to 343 people, chairman FBR added.
Chairman FBR said that having names of just the directors of offshore companies is not enough. Owners of 39 companies are not residents of Pakistan while 52 people denied having offshore companies. Justice Khosa asked what was Sharif’s family reply after the issuance of the notice to which chairman FBR replied that Hassan, Hussain, and Maryam Nawaz replied to it and Maryam Nawaz said that she does not have any assets overseas.
Did Maryam Nawaz mentioned being a trustee, asked Justice Khosa. Chairman FBR replied that she said nothing about it adding that replies of prime minister’s children were received on November 21, 2016. Hussain Nawaz said that he is living outside the country since December 2000 while Hassan Nawaz only defended residing ourside the country.
Justice Gulzar asked chairman FBR if the file was closed after Hussain Nawaz’s reply while Justice Ijaz asked him if he verifies Hussain Nawaz’s Nation Tax Number (NTN). When chairman FBR said that Hussain Nawaz’s NTN is correct Justice Ijaz saying that old NTN numbers were cancelled after 2002 asked him if Hussain Nawaz got new NTN made to which the chairman replied that he could verify it after checking the record.
Just what did you do after the replies to notices were received asked, Justice Khosa while Justice Gulzar asked chairman FBR to prove the actions that were taken through record. When the chairman said that all the information is being verified Justice Gulzar said that it appears as if you need 30 years for verification while Shaikh Azmat commented that a a whole year has been taken to perform a job that required only hours. What FBR is doing is before everyone, Justice Azmat said. It could ne known within an hour since one is staying overseas, to which department you arote for the travel history and when, Justice Azmat asked chairman FBR. To this counsel of FBR replied that there is no record to show to the court and that owners of 39 companies living outside the country have not been verified.
Here Justice Khosa said that banks were accused of being used for money laundering.
After chairman FBR chairman NAB recorded his statement. Justice Khosa asked chairman NAB that NAB says that Panama issue does not fall within its jurisdictio to which he replied that NAB takes action when a regulator contacts NAB. Justice Azmat Saeed asked chairman NAB if that is NAB’s stand that since no regulator contacted it so it has no authority to take action against offshore companies. Does NAB law talks about any regulator, does someone else regulates NAB, Justice Azmat askedchairman NAB.
Replying to this chairman NAB that NAB’s law regulates it. Saying that Law empowers its chairman to take action Justice Khosa added that chairman NAB talks about regulator but does not know who is its regulator.
Here Justice Gulzar commented that there are regulators for power and gas but today we have also come to know about NAB’s regulator. Terming NAB’s stand sorrowful Justice Azmat Saeed said that Qatari letter talked about issues that chairman NAB is talking about. Qatari letter too talked about regulator, he added. Here Prosecutor General NAB said that banks take action over suspicious transactions.
Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf Ali started arguments after the recording of statement by chairman FBR. The prtitions seek declaring prime minister disqualified, he said adding that there are court precedents over it. Calling Panama a distinct case he said that the petitions are similar to quo warranto and election petitions and hearing of such cases is not court routine. Hearing such cases is not the jurisdiction of the court, he added.
After the Attorney General counsel of the PTI Naeem Bukhari would sum up his arguments.
Talking to media prior to the hearing outside the Supreme Court Shaikh Rasheed said that the case is almost over. Justice is just three days away, the coffin of corruption would come out of Supreme Court, he added.
The real winner in this case will be the people and even if the decision comes against us it would still be our victory, he added.
Imran Khan was also present in the court.
The Attorney General will continue with his arguments tomorrow. The court directed him at the close of hearing today to complete his arguments by tomorrow.
