FAZAL SHER

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prosecutor General National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi on Friday told the Accountability Court that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had purchased the Avenfield properties through “embezzled” money in the names of his children.

“The accused Sharif during his speech said those who buy properties through embezzled money do not put it in their own names,” the deputy prosecutor general said during his final arguments in the Avenfield reference filed by NAB against Sharif family.

Abbasi said the NAB case says that Sharif had bought the London properties though ill-gotten money and transferred the ownership to his children. He further said that public office holders do not put those properties in their own names which they purchase through embezzled money. The prosecution has presented Sharif’s address to the nation and speech on the floor of the National Assembly as evidence in the court, he said, adding that the prosecution has produced evidence which shows a strong link of accused Sharif with the London properties.

The deputy prosecutor general NAB said that there is no mention of Qatari prince’s letter in the Sharif’s speech and address to the nation. “Sharif claimed in his speech about the sources through which London flats had been purchased,” he said, adding that despite providing him an opportunity he did not inform this court about “the sources” which he had mentioned in his speech.

He said that there is a contradiction between the speech of Sharif at the floor of National Assembly and address to the nation, as in his address to nation he talked about the sale of Makkah factory while in his speech at National Assembly he told the story of Gulf Steel Mills. While recording his statement before the court, neither did Sharif clear himself nor his children, he said.

The deputy prosecutor general NAB said that there is a contradiction between the stance adopted by Sharif and his children. “Sharif stated that London flats had been purchased while his son Hussian Nawaz said the ownership of flats had been transferred,” he said. Abbasi said that Hussain Nawaz had admitted the ownership of the London properties during an interview.

During the hearing Sharif and his son-in-law Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd) were present in the court. The court later allowed Sharif to go.

Abbasi further argued that all the accused admitted the ownership of the Avenfield properties and they have adopted a specific stance. “Under the law when an accused adopts a specific stance then the burden of proof lies with him,” he said, adding that the stance adopted by the accused regarding money trail for purchase of London properties has been proved incorrect. “The NAB has proved the stance adopted by the accused as incorrect through documentary evidence,” he said.

He said that the decision of Queen’s Bench Division, London, 1999 in the Hudaibiya Papers Mills loans acquired through the Al-Towfeek Investment Fund proved Sharif family’s London flats ownership. “Queen’s Bench Division, London, had attached the London apartments in 1999 in the case of Al Towfeek Company against the Hudaibiya Paper Mills”, he said.

The NAB prosecutor said if the London flats were owned by the Qatari Royal family, then they must have had moved the court and claimed the properties. The decision of Queen’s Bench Division had proved that London properties had been owned by the Sharifs and not Qatari royal family, he said.

Abbasi said that the trust deeds of Nielsen and Nescoll were submitted by accused Maryam Nawaz before the JIT in support of the stance taken by her and other accused regarding the acquisition of the Avenfield properties. However, later on the trust deeds were found fake and fabricated in light of forensic report of Robert Radley, a UK-based forensic expert.

He further said that the defense has neither produced any expert to rebut the report of Radely nor produce original trust deeds before this court.

After the deputy prosecutor general NAB completed his final arguments, the court adjourned hearing of Avenfield reference till June 12 and the Al-Azizia Steel Mill reference hearing till June 11.