Panamagate Scandal: Maryam submits property-related documents at SC

ISLAMABAD: Maryam Nawaz – daughter of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – submitted documentary evidence as the country’s top court continued hearing the infamous Panamagate Papers Leaks case on Tuesday.

However, despite a court’s order Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, both of whom live abroad and are prime minister’s sons, failed to submit relevant documents and sought additional time from the court.

A five-member larger SC bench headed by Chief Justice Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali resumed the enquiry today. Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan and members Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Jehangir Tareen were also present at the hearing.

Adjourning the case hearing until November 17, the court asked them to present their asset details before the court by Thursday and directed all parties to exchange the documents’ copies with each other.

Also Read: Abid Sher Ali thinks government will come out of Panamagate scandal

The apex court bench also said it would decide whether to form a commission to investigate the matter or not, possibly in the next hearing.

Senior lawyer Akram Sheikh represented Maryam Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz and Hasan Nawaz in the court and presented a letter by Qatari prince, dated November 5, 2016, claiming no money was sent abroad.

The documents comprising over 350 pages suggested that Maryam Nawaz has been only a trustee in Hussain Nawaz-owned offshore companies since 2006.

On Monday, PTI also had submitted documentary evidence to the Supreme Court to strengthen the infamous case against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members.

The documents, submitted by PTI Chairman through his legal adviser Advocate Hamid Khan comprised of more than 600 pages and included details of the bank accounts owned by the Sharif family and its bank loans waivers.

In her reply last week, PM’s daughter categorically had denied holding any offshore company during the last hearing while his sons, in their respective replies, had alleged that they had been working and living overseas for several years within the laws.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also denied holding any offshore company or business outside Pakistan.

The Panamagate scandal

Names of several Pakistanis including Nawaz Sharif’s children Maryam, Hussain, and Hasan surfaced in one of the world’s biggest ever data leaks through an online searchable database made public by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in April 2016, following which the prime minister had formed an inquiry commission to probe his family’s alleged links to offshore accounts.

Unfortunately, the federal government and the opposition could not agree on drafting joint Terms of References (ToRs).

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) also failed to probe the high-profile case.

The PTI later had said to hold a sit-in in Islamabad on November 2 which was later changed into a ‘celebratory’ rally.