Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday testifying before the Accountability Court said that the probe conducted by joint investigation team (JIT) in Panama Papers case was not only biased, farce and unfair, but it was also carried out without evidence.
The former premier said this while recording his statement in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference under the section 342 of Code of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik, who is hearing corruption cases against him and his family members.
Sharif said, "I had only produced the documents relating to my income tax returns, wealth statements and wealth tax returns and as such there was no reason or occasion for me to declaim the document I produced."
He said that as far as the documents produced by the other accused persons are concerned, it is submitted that on their behalf a separate CMA had been filed for setting aside the conclusion drawn by the JIT on the basis of its report and it was not him to plead their case.
The PML-N supremo has recorded the answers of 148 questions and he will record the answers of remaining four questions during the next hearing to be held on November 22 (Thursday).
Sharif further said that the statements recorded by the JIT during its investigation were not admissible as evidence. An application was filed on his behalf in the Supreme Court against so-called evidence and JIT report. It was pleaded in the application that the JIT is a mere investigative body and, hence, any statement recorded by it cannot be presented as evidence in the court.
He said that the money deposited in his account from abroad was documented correctly in Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) records.
At one stage, Sharif got emotional and directly addressing the judge said that so far he had no idea why this case was even made against him. The prosecution also does not know why this case was made against him, he said.
He said that the people study worldwide and also conduct businesses abroad. "If my children have sent money then what is strange in it. My children would have been accused even if they were doing businesses in Pakistan and now when they have businesses abroad, they are still being accused", he said, adding that it is a good thing that his children do business abroad. He even said he is in politics and hence does not have time to pay attention to their businesses.
National Accountability Court (NAB) Prosecutor Wasiq Malik while responding to Sharif's statement said, "The case is not about doing business abroad, rather it is how you established businesses abroad."
Shairf further said if the government had not forcefully exiled his family, his children would have being conducting their businesses in Pakistan. "We were forced to leave the country in 1971, then again in 1999, even though I was not doing politics in 1971," he said, asking, "What option my children had except doing business abroad...Had they opted begging?"
He said that there is no evidence of corruption and receiving kickback against him.
To another question, Sharif said that he had not acquired, established or possessed Al-Azizia Steel Mill Company Limited (ASCL) in 2001. "No evidence has been produced by the prosecution that I had acquired, established or possessed ASCL in 2001 or at any time before thereof. There is no reason to call up on me to justify acquisition, establishment and possession of ASCL in 2001 on the basis of my known sources of income."
He said that he had never sent any money or fund to his children abroad for the process of establishment of running of their business. No allegation of money laundering has been levelled against him by the prosecution, he said, adding that he is not under any obligation to justify from his known sources of income that the acquisition, establishment and possession of ASCL in 2001 had any concern with him.
Sharif said that it is correct that his son Hussain Nawaz Sharif was student in 1996 and Hassan Nawaz Sharif remained a student till 1999. However, it is not correct they did not have any independent sources of income or business after they completed their education, he said, adding that his eldest son Hussain has been a non-resident Pakistan since the year 2000, while his younger son Hassan continued to reside in the UK after completion of his education in 1999 and later acquired the UK citizenship in the year 2007.
He said that both of his sons have been doing businesses since the year 2001, initially with the help of grandfather and later on their own. "I had never sent any money to either of any children abroad for purposes of their education, or for day-to-day living or for acquisition, establishing or running of their business," he said. As regard to their tax record, it is submitted that since their businesses are established in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the UK and one of them is non-resident Pakistani and the other has been a UK citizen since 2007, their tax record in Pakistan are not relevant with reference to the businesses conducted by them abroad, said Sharif.
He said that neither are both Hussain and Hassan before this court nor are they jointly tried with him, hence the details relating to their business cannot be answered by him on his own.
When asked it is evident that his non-earning sons Hussain and Hassan established the business entities Al-Aziza Steel Company and Hill Metals Establishment (HME) as benami owner on his behalf and he is the actual beneficial owner of these properties, Sharif said that it is incorrect and no such evidence has been produced by the prosecution in this case. "Neither was I benami or actual beneficial owner of ASCL nor am I benami owner or actual owner of HME," he said, adding that no such an evidence exists on record, rather this allegation is based on the conclusion drawn by the JIT.
The court adjourned hearing of Al-Azizia reference till November 22 and summoned NAB investigation officer Muhammad Kamran in Flagship reference for cross-examination on Tuesday (today).
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