Panamagate Case: You are playing gamble that can go any side, judge tells Sharifs’ lawyer

ISLAMABAD: A five-member bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned hearing of the Panama Papers Case till next Monday, ARY News reported.

The counsel of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children, Salman Akram Raja, will continue his arguments in the next hearing of the case.

A larger bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa hearing the high profile case against the family members of the prime minister.

The court during the proceedings today told Salman Akram Raja, “you are playing gamble which can go to any side.”

The counsel continuing his arguments said that the Mossaic Fonseca papers could likely be prepared with fraudulent means. “No one knows who brought the papers and from where?”, the counsel argued. He said a forged document with regard to Maryam’s being owner of the London flats was submitted in the court.

Justice Khosa remarked that the entire capital came from the Qatari royal. You didn’t maintain the record of such a big business and transactions!!” “It is so, I am saying you are playing a gamble, which can go in any way. You have a stance but no documents to back it.”

During the proceedings, the counsel provided the service records of Minerva firm pointing that Faisal Tiwana, a representative of Hussain Nawaz, made an agreement with the Arena company.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan, Awami Muslim League leader Shaikh Rashid, Jahangir Tareen, Jamat Islami emir Siraj-ul-Haq and other political leaders were present in the courtroom.

The counsel in his arguments yesterday said that the court has asked eight questions. He said he will give answers according to the available record. The counsel also said that the record of the Sharif family’s 40 to 45 years old business dealings could not be produced. He said the family’s record lost during the 1999 martial law.

Justice Ijaz Afzal during the hearing questioned the lawyer, “How to access the true information of the matter ? The petitioner has expressed his inability to produce evidence. Now you are saying the same. How can we conclude the matter? Who will provide the documents?”

The counsel said that the available record has been provided in the court. He also said that it has been proved that London flats were not owned by the prime minister neither the Sharif family in year 1999.

The counsel said that the al-Thani family had handed over the bearer certificates of flats to Hussain Nawaz in January 2006.

The bench remarked that the Qatari letter says nothing about handing over of the certificates to Hussain Nawaz. The details of the letters have now memorized to us.

Addressing the lawyer the bench said, “You are jumping here and there. Produce the documents to prove it”. “What is problem in producing the record of Minerva Company?

The Panamagate 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.