FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prosecutor General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi Wednesday told the Accountability Court that accused Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd) concealed facts to mislead investigators and could not prove their sources of income.

While extending his closing arguments in the Avenfield reference filed by the NAB against the Sharif family, the deputy prosecutor general NAB said that Maryam Nawaz concealed facts and she along with other accused tried to mislead the investigation agency.

He said the bearer share certificates of Nielsen and Nescoll, which own the London properties, had been in the possession of the accused since 1993 and the documents had never been in Qatar. The accused in 2006 handed over the bearer share certificates to service providing company, which is a direct evidence of ownership of Nielsen and Nescoll as the bearer share certificates were in the possession of the accused, he said.

Abbasi further said that Hussain Nawaz admitted that he was shifted to the London flats in 1993 and even paid ground rent and utility bills, while Hasan Nawaz had been shifted in 1994. “There is a difference between ground rent and payment of rent as ground rent is actually a land rent which has to be paid by the owner,” he said.

Abbasi said that the response of Ministry of Justice of the UAE to mutual legal assistance (MLA) request is one of the irrefutable evidences that no transaction of AED12 million had been taken place between Tariq Shafi and the Qatari family. “As per the MLA response, the share sale agreement 1980 does not exist and, therefore, it is proved beyond doubt that story about sale proceeds of AED12 million is false and fabricated one,” he said.

He said that Tariq and other accused nominated in this case did not produce any evidence with respect to payment of loan of Gulf Steel Mills. As per the worksheet submitted along with letter of Qatari Prince Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani, the funds were provided by the Qatari family for settlement between Hudaibiya Paper Mills and Al-Taufeeq, he said, adding that according to the worksheet, funds had also been provided to Hussain Nawaz for setting up of Al-Aziza Steel Mills.

The NAB prosecutor further said the worksheet is a rough document, which does not carry any supporting document or signature of any person. “The Qatari prince never stated that the bearer shares of Nielsen and Nescoll were in his custody but said that the bearer shares were present in Qatar,” he said, adding that in fact bearer shares never went to Qatar and it had been in the possession of the accused since 1993.

Nawaz Sharif appeared before the court amid tight security arrangement and he was later allowed to go.

At the start of the hearing, the counsel for Maryam and Captain Safdar (retd) filed a one-day exemption plea for his clients. He informed the court that Safdar was in Mansehra to obtain nomination papers for the upcoming election. The court approved the request.

The court has adjourned the hearing till June 7 and NAB deputy prosecutor general will continue his arguments on Thursday (today).

Earlier talking to reporters informally inside Accountability Court, Sharif said that pre-poll rigging began the day when he was removed as party president.

He said that suo motu action is initiated on every other issue but no one takes any notice when his party members are forced to join other parties.

To a question about PTI chief Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan’s upcoming book, Sharif said that he does not know about the issue and Imran knows better in this regard.