Avenfield Case: Nawaz denies business association with Qatari Prince

ISLAMABAD: While resuming to record his statement on Tuesday, in Avenfield properties reference, former premier Nawaz Sharif candidly remarked before the accountability court that he does not have any knowledge of the business affiliation with Qatari Prince.

“Whatever transactions for business took place, Qatari Prince and his family would know it”. While speaking further about letters written by Qatari Prince Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabor al Thani, Nawaz said that the letters were verified by the prince himself in a letter written to the Supreme Court.”The JIT didn’t record the statement of the Qatari Prince even when he was in Pakistan” he complained.

Nawaz tried justifying his position before the court by stressing that Hussain Nawaz can affirm that he has never been involved in the purchase of Avenfield Properties.

In his statement, Nawaz again questioned the objectivity of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and stressed that JIT head, Wajid Zia, employed the services of his cousin’s (Akhtar Raja) company to carry out investigations against his family. “The statements recorded by Akhtar Raja, in the case, are partial and the documents he submitted against my family in Gulf Steel Mills case are also forged”, he claimed.

In his series of objections on JIT members, Nawaz said that SECP Exectutive Director Communication Bilal Rasool’s appointment as JIT member was irrelevant and biased as he is the nephew of former governor Punjab Mian Azhar whose wife is a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter. “Constituting JIT with representatives from ISI and MI was inapt, as 70 years old Civil-Military gulf did influence the performance of JIT,” he blamed.

PML-N’s supremo stated that Jeremy Freeman had verified trust deeds of Comber group, Nielsen and Nescoll on January 5, 2017 and he has a copy of the trust deeds in his office. “But Akhtar or investigating officer didn’t make any effort to obtain the copies of trust deeds from Freeman” Nawaz said.

Disqualified Premier refused to comment over the evidences submitted by Wajid Zia in the court previously.

Nawaz Shairf along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd.) Safdar appeared before the accountability court in the Avenfield case which has now entered into its final phase.

While recording the answers of 55 questions out of 128 from the questionnaire prepared by the court, the hearing was adjourned till tomorrow.

The Avenfield reference, pertaining to the Sharif family’s London properties, is among three filed references against Sharifs by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) last year on the Supreme Court’s directives.

NAB’s Prosecutor objects:

In the beginning of hearing, NAB prosecutor raised objection over reading of the statement by defense counsel Khuwaja Harris on Nawaz’s behalf. On which, Nawaz Sharif said that his throat soars if he speaks continuously for long.

However, after NAB prosecutor’s demur that the suspect should record his statements in a direct manner, Nawaz Sharif started reading out the statement a loud himself.

Nawaz Sharif’s media talk:

In his consistent criticism against state institutions, deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif talking to media outside the accountability court premises said that whoever serves Pakistan is declared corrupt or traitor.

While commenting on recent defections of South Punjab members from PML-N, the party supreme leader said, “All those who left party, none of them is going to get the people’s vote because they are turncoats.”