Nawaz says won’t defend Al-Azizia reference after ‘NAB failed to prove charges’

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, during hearing of the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case, told the accountability court on Thursday that the prosecution has failed to prove charges against him, ARY News reported.

The ex-PM said he had decided against defending charges framed against him in the case by NAB. “I am not putting forward anything in my defence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference,” he told the court.

Judge Arshad Malik conducted proceedings of the case. The ex-PM recorded his statement under section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Sharif told the court that cases were registered against him on the basis of statements given by his political rivals. “The case was filed against me after the joint investigation team prepared a one-sided and partial report in the case.”

He insisted that there were no proofs against him in the case. I wasn’t holding any public office till 2005, while money sent by Hussain Nawaz from abroad was also mentioned in my tax returns of 2010, he told during the hearing.

He explained his son sent the money out of affection for his father. “This is the tradition in our society that sons financially assist their fathers”, he added. He maintained no false interpretation should be made out of this context.

The former PM accused Panama Papers joint investigation team head Wajid Zia of falsely implicating him in the probe ‘based on hearsay’.

In his statement, he told that an accountability of his whole family was conducted, but no proofs were furnished. The ex-PM said his children were independent and free, “and they were doing business lawfully, be it anywhere in the world.”

“My entire 40 years career in the politics is transparent and free from any corruption,” Sharif told the court.

He said cases were initiated against him on charges of money laundering, tax evasion and corruption, but no evidence was shared to corroborate the assertions.

“Let’s conduct scrutiny of entire generation of my family, a corruption of even a single penny won’t be found,” he said in his statement before the accountability court. I expect justice from the court, Mr. Shari added.

According to the charge sheet against the former premier in the Al-Azizia reference, Mr Sharif has been accused of owning assets which are disproportionate to his known sources of income. It says transactions have been carried out between Mr Sharif’s family members and their companies without any plausible explanation and consideration.

On November 19, the Supreme Court gave three weeks to the accountability court to wrap up graft references against Nawaz Sharif.

The apex court issued the order in response to a request submitted by the accountability court seeking another extension to wind up Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment references against Nawaz Sharif.

The order was issued by the two-member SC bench. CJP Mian Saqib Nisar stated in his order that the Supreme Court would not grant further extension for completion of trial against the ex-PM.