The joint investigation team (JIT) tasked to investigate the Sharif family's financial dealings abroad has received Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani's reply through a letter wherein he has refused to appear before the JIT in person due to his personal engagements. The sources said the six-member JIT, headed by Additional Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Wajid Zia, has received the reply of Qatari prince through a letter.
They said the JIT had earlier sent a letter to the Qatari prince to appear in person before the team to record his statement about the letter that he had written to the Sharifs for establishing money trail of London apartments in the Supreme Court. It is pertinent to mention here that the prince had written in the letter that four flats - 16, 16A, 17 and 17A, Avenfield House, Park Lane, London - were registered under the ownership of two offshore companies, while their bearer share certificates were kept in Qatar. "These were purchased from the proceeds of the real estate business," the letter had claimed.
A three-member special bench of the Supreme Court overseeing the Panama Papers investigation had expressed if Qatari prince fails to appear before the JIT then there would be no value of the Qatari letter. The sources further said the JIT has also started reviewing documents submitted by Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz regarding the Panama Papers case. The JIT will submit its second progress report on June 7 before the Supreme Court. The sources further said that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is likely to appear before the JIT in the third phase of the investigations. So far, Hussain has appeared four times before the JIT while Hassan Nawaz has appeared once.