Nawaz Sharif, sons not to appear before NAB until disqualification appeal verdict

LAHORE: Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif  and his sons will not appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) until a verdict over the appeal filed in the Supreme Court over his disqualification, ARY News reported on Friday.

According to ARY correspondent, well-placed sources close to the Sharif family said that they have reservations that the investigation proceedings are being directly overseen by the Supreme Court.

Therefore, it has been decided that no member of the they will appear or cooperate with any investigation by the NAB. The Sharif will come up with future course of action in case the appeal verdict does not in their favour.

The anti-graft watchdog had summoned Nawaz Sharif, his sons Hussain and Hassan Nawaz, for investigation in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case on August 18, the first of many cases that it would investigate. However, they failed up for the despite being subpoenaed.

A counsel for the Sharif family, Amjad Pervaiz, filed a written reply with the NAB’s office in Lahore, maintaining that appeal has been filed in the apex court, and his client will not appear personally until a verdict as the matter is currently sub-judice.

The NAB on Friday held a meeting where it was briefed on the legal aspects of the references and inquiries against the Sharif family. It is also known that the NAB chairman Chaudhry Qamar-uz-Zaman is likely to go abroad for seven to ten days.

Earlier this week, Nawaz Sharif has approached the Supreme Court challenging his disqualification verdict and seeking a stay order against further implementation of the verdict and proceedings of NAB

On July 28, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court bench had disqualified Nawaz Sharif in a unanimous verdict in the Panamagate case, for concealing his salary from a Dubai-based company, and cutting short his third stint in power.

As part of the verdict, the Supreme Court had only directed NAB to file references within six weeks based on the findings of the Joint Investigation Team constituted by the court to investigate them offshore assets.

The Sharif family seems to be using delaying tactics over the eventual retirement of incumbent NAB chairman in October after the anti-graft watchdog would become effectively dysfunctional.