Proceedings in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment reference against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have entered the final stage, as all 22 prosecution witnesses have recorded their statements while defence counsel has cross-examined them.
Defence counsel Khawaja Haris on Wednesday completed cross-examination of last prosecution witness and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Investigation Officer Mehboob Alam. Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment reference is one of the three references filed against Sharif and his family members by NAB in 2017, following the directives of the Supreme Court.
While testifying before the Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik, the prosecution witness responding to a question asked by Haris, said that during the investigation he had not associated any person related or familiar with or privy to the distribution of shareholding and working of the companies including Chaudhry Sugar Mill, Muhammad Baksh Textile Mill, Ittefaq Brothers Private Limited, Brothers Steel Mill, Ittefaq Foundry, Ramzan Sugar Mills, Ittefaq Sugar Mills, Hudaibiya Paper Mills, Hudaibiya Engineering Private Limited, Ilyas Enterprises, Ittefaq Textile Mills, Ramazan Textile Mill and Hamza Board Textile Mill.
Former Premier Sharif was present in the courtroom during the hearing.
Alam said that he had collected the record related to Mehran Ramzan Textile Mill from Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan but did not associate any official of this company in the investigation as well. "I had not ascertained during the investigation which of the aforesaid companies are still functional and which ones have been closed down," he said.
Alam said that no witness stated before him when Al-Azizia Steel Mill was set up in Saudi Arabia and what foundation basis of sponsored funding of the Hill Metals Establishment (HME) was. "I took into possession the DVDs regarding Nawaz Sharif's address to the nation and his speech in National Assembly but I had not record the statement of the person who prepared the DVD," he said.
He said that it came to his notice during investigation that Nawaz Sharif had not claimed to be the owner of Al-Azizia Steel Mill and HME in his address to the nation or in his speech in the National Assembly or before Supreme Court and Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Panama Papers case. None of the witnesses had stated before him that Al-Azizia steel Mill was set up by funds provided by accused Hussain Nawaz, he said.
The witness said that it is correct that Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif stated before the JIT that education and day-to-day expenditure of Hussaind and Hassan was paid by children's grandfather Mian Muhammad Sharif.
The court adjourned hearing till Thursday (today) and NAB will inform the court about the closure of evidence.
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