Flagship reference: Nawaz's counsel urges AC to take notice of Fawad's statement

The counsel for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif Friday urged the Accountability Court to take suo motu notice on Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry's statement wherein the latter claimed that Sharif will definitely go to prison in the remaining two references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
At the start of the hearing of Flagship Investments reference, Sharif's counsel, Advocate Zubair Khalid requested the court to take notice of Chaudhry's statement. He also produced newspapers that published the minister's statement.
Khalid told the court that the minister said that the former premier will 100 percent go to jail again. The verdict of the case has not been announced yet, so how he can say that Sharif will be sentenced, he further said.
He prayed to the court that a notice be issued to the information minister. "If a notice is not taken regarding the statement then credibility of the court will be damaged," he said.
The judge asked if the minister made a general statement or comment or he referred specifically to the court. The court directed Sharif's counsel to file an application along with the newspapers' clippings regarding the statement. "We will see what to do with this statement," he further said, adding if a notice needs to be issued to Chaudhry then the court will issue it.
However, later Khalid told the court that there is no need to file an application in this regard and requested the court to take suo motu notice of the minister's statement. However, Deputy Prosecutor General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi while objecting to the defence request said it makes no difference whether someone says Sharif will be convicted or released. This court has no suo motu powers, he further said.
He said that making statement by the minister in a TV channel is his personal matter "but we are confident that Sharif will be convicted." On this Sharif's counsel urged the court to make the prosecutor's statement part of court record and then left the court.
The former premier was present in the courtroom during the hearing and he was later allowed to leave. Wajid Zia, key prosecution witness and head of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed Panama Papers case during the cross-examination said that JIT had gone through contents of share sale agreement 1978 before Tariq Shafi, a close relative of Sharif family, joined the investigation. It came to the notice of the JIT that there were two partners of Gulf Steel Mills (GSM) namely Tariq Shafi and Muhammad Hussain as per the contents of the share sale agreement, he said.
He said that it also came to the notice of JIT that there was a cession letter duly registered in Pakistan made by Muhammad Hussain's heirs namely Shahzad Hussain and his widow in their personal capacity.
Zia said that the JIT had not associated Abdullah Kayed Ahli with the investigation for the purpose of verifying the contents and implementation of the share sale agreement dated April 14, 1980. The name of Abdul Wahab Galadari was mentioned as witness number one on the said agreement, he said, adding that the JIT had not associated Galadari with investigation for verifying the contents of the agreement dated April 14, 1980.
The witness said that the name of Muhammad Akram and his address was mentioned as second witness on the agreement dated April 14, 1980. The JIT had attempted to locate Muhammad Hussain but he could be traced, he said.
Zia said that it is correct that the agreement dated April 14, 1980 bore the stamp and signature of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the government of United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was attested by Consulate General of Pakistan, he said.
He said that it came to the notice of JIT that as per share sale agreement, consideration of 75 percent shares of Gulf Steel Mills was AED 21,375,000. Similarly, as per the contents of share sale agreement of April 14, 1980, the sale consideration of 25 percent shares was AED 12 million, he said, adding that as per the above said agreements, the total sale consideration was worked out as AED 33,375,000.
The witness said that it came to the notice of JIT that Abdur Rehman Kayed Ahli son of Abdullah Kayed Ahli had given an affidavit with respect to sale consideration prosperity price for 100 percent shares of Gulf Steel Mills. The JIT had not associated Abdur Rehman Kayed Ahli with investigation, he said. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned till Monday (October 29).