- Court also asks when Nawaz Sharif separated himself from business
- Says Sharif family can be summoned if stance on London flats contradicted
ISLAMABAD, January 5: : The Supreme Court on Thursday said members of Sharif family can be summoned if they contradict their stance regarding London flats.
“If Sharif family contradicts previous interviews regarding London flats, the top court can summon them,” Justice Asif Saeed Khosa said. Justice Khosa is heading a five-judge bench of the apex court hearing afresh a slew of petitions seeking PM Nawaz’s disqualification in the backdrop of the Panama Papers revelations.
The statement came after PTI lawyer Naeem Bukhari referred to interviews of PM Nawaz and his children to establish their contradictory stance on London properties. However, Justice Khosa
observed that if anyone denies their media statements then they’ll have to record statements.
While, another judge on the bench, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh, warned the PTI lawyer, “If you start hanging people on the basis of news clippings then your client [Imran] will not survive either.”
Justice Khosa pointed out that the premier never stated that London properties are owned by his son, Hussain Nawaz. Likewise, during interviews Hussain referred to the luxury apartments in London as “our flats” and not “my flats”.
Case cannot be solved by itself, judge added. Court also directed to provide information about when Hussain Nawaz started business, his academic details and when Nawaz Sharif separated himself from business.
The top court has sought a timeline of the public offices PM Nawaz has held during his entire political career in order to determine possible conflict of interests in overseeing his family business and officiating official responsibilities. “Do we have any document or declaration which could establish that the PM disassociated from family business in the 1990s,” Justice Khosa asked.
The bench has also sought a transcript of recent interviews of company manager, Haroon Pasha, who said the entire documentary record of the Sharif family money trail is available and it has been provided to lawyers to produce before the court. However, Justice Khosa observed that the premier’s counsel on December 9 expressed inability to produce the money trail and said they have no record.
Further, Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan remarked that if the Qatari letter is hearsay then it cannot be used as evidence in this case. Sharif’s children claimed that the family had made investments in real estate in Qatar. On Wednesday, Justice Khosa said the hearings of the case would be conducted daily without any adjournment. – Agencies
