ISLAMABAD: A five-member Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Wednesday resumed hearing of the Panamagate case and sought details of the distribution of Mian Muhammad Sharif’s (father of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif) property from the Sharifs.
The bench including Justice Azmat Saeed, Justice Ijaz Afzal, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Ijaz-ul-Hasan, was hearing the case against the family members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
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Senior counsel Shahid Hamid, appearing on behalf of Maryam Nawaz and her husband retired Capt Mohammad Safdar continued his arguments in the court today and claimed that there was no dispute in the Sharif family over the matter of property.
“Hussain Nawaz has two marriages and seven children” and to distribute assets amongst his heirs, Maryam Nawaz was made a trustee, claimed Shahid Hamid.
The SC bench questioned, in that case, why Maryam Nawaz never mentioned her being the trustee in a televised interview?
He added Captain Safdar had submitted statements of Maryam Nawaz along with the nomination papers in the Election Commission and that there was no question of any disqualification because tax returns were not filed.
Earlier, Hamid submitted Maryam Nawaz’s reply again in the court with his signatures.
The court also shed light on an email of Maryam Nawaz in which she admitted in 2004 that she was the beneficiary owner of two offshore companies, Nielsen and Nescoll.
“The documents reveal everything. Should we confirm her signatures?” asked the court.
“The court can assess Maryam Nawaz’s signatures. The documents related to her name contain fake signatures.”
Speaking to media outside the apex court, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Siraj-ul-Haq said that he and his party was fighting the case solely for the people of Pakistan.
Chief of the Awami Muslim League, Sheikh Rasheed pinned hope that the Supreme Court would give a historical verdict in the case.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders defended the prime minister and his daughter by saying that PTI’s aim was to do politics over Panama and that party Chairman Imran Khan was afraid of Maryam Nawaz.
“If Panama documents are forged then a case should be filed against the paper,” Imran Khan advised the government leaders.
The top court later adjourned hearing of the infamous case until Thursday. Shahid Hamid would continue his arguments from where he has left today.
On the final day of his turn to take proceedings of the infamous case forward, JI counsel Toufieeq Asif on Tuesday pleaded the bench to summon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the court. However, the court observed that after hearing each party it could summon Nawaz Sharif only if required.
The Panamagate scandal
The leaked papers, comprising 11.5 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, exposes how some of the world’s most powerful people have secreted their money offshore, and also implicated Sharif’s sons Hasan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz.
Three of Sharif’s four children are named in the Panama Papers – daughter Maryam, who has been tipped to be his political successor and sons Hasan and Hussain – with the records showing they owned London real estate through offshore companies administered by Mossack Fonseca.
The Panama Papers have whipped up a storm of controversy over offshore wealth, ensnaring political leaders, sports figures and underworld members across the globe in the scandal.
