ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court on Monday resumed the hearing of Panama case where Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) counsel Taufiq Asif resumed his arguments following which the court asked premier’s counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan to submit prime minister’s reply at the earliest over JI’s deliberations.
A five-member bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, also 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.
Justice Khosa maintained that accusations in the case were against a family and not the government, but the entire government was trying to protect that very family.
“Accusations are not against the entire government, but the entire government is being defensive,” remarked Justice Khosa.
JI’s counsel pointed out that ministers were coming to the court in a bid to defend the prime minister in the infamous case.
Must Read: German newspaper publishes documents showing Maryam Nawaz’s foreign properties
Justice Khosa asked politicians to have patience and wait for the verdict instead of making statements and speeches outside the top court.
“Let the case proceed and wait for the verdict,” stressed Justice Khosa.
He added that the premier’s counsel did not mention evidence when he made arguments in the case on his turn, rather presented only legal points.
While hearing of the Panama case was underway in the Supreme Court, a German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung released new documents on social media showing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz as a beneficial owner of the companies in Saudi Arabia.
SZ Investigativ tweeted, a personal information form of Minerva Services Ltd showing Maryam as a beneficial owner which suggested family’s wealth and business spreading over 60 years as the source of wealth.
JI’s counsel reiterated that Prime Minister Sharif lied in the parliament over Panama scandal while the top court told Taufiq Asif to complete his arguments in the proceedings of the case during the next hearing before adjourning the case until Tuesday (tomorrow).
After JI’s counsel, Shahid Hamid and Salman Akram Raja – lawyers representing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children Maryam, Hassan and Hussain Nawaz – will present their arguments before the SC bench.
‘It’s confirmed, Maryam owns Mayfair flats’
Chairman PTI Imran Khan said on Monday that the latest revelations made by a German newspaper confirmed Maryam Nawaz owns Mayfair flats in London, a claim she had been long denying.
Speaking to media representatives outside the Supreme Court, Khan said since it had now been proved that the Qatari prince letter was fake, sole money trail established by the Sharif family in Panama case also becomes null and void.
He was of the view that the Sharif family had completely lost control of the case as it was taking them towards a dead end.
“Instead of attacking me, Nawaz-league must send notices to Umer Cheema, ICIJ and BBC for exposing their corruption,” said Chairman PTI.
The Panama Papers 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.
