Panama Leaks: Justice Khosa says we want to know about money trail

ISLAMABAD: The five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, on Wednesday decided to hold Panama Leaks case hearings on daily basis.

Justice Khosa inquired about the political offices Nawaz Sharif held during all these years and the growth in his businesses. We have to see whether the official authority has been misused, he remarked.

He asked PM’s lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan to apprise the bench about when and for how long Nawaz Sharif was minister, chief minister and prime minister and when did he leave the country.

In 1997, PM Nawaz Sharif said he is disassociating himself from business but he didn't, Justice Khosa remarked.

Referring to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's April 4 speech, PTI counsel Naeem Bukhari said the PM misstated the facts and that he is no more 'Sadiq and Ameen' and should be disqualified from holding the office of the Prime Minister.

Upon this, Justice Khosa said don't force us to define 'honest' and 'trustworthy' in such a way that none is able to contest elections in the country.

Continuing his arguments, Naeem Bukhari alleged that Maryam Nawaz is still dependent on his father. PM Nawaz said that London flats were purchased from the proceeds of Jeddah Steel Mills which has not been established yet, he pointed out.

Just two days before the hearing the Sharif Family had changed their legal team in the case.

Salman Aslam Butt, who was representing the prime minister, was replaced with former attorney general and senior lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan. Similarly, Hussain Nawaz, elder son of Premier Nawaz Sharif, who was represented earlier by advocate Muhammad Akram Sheikh, was replaced with Salman Akram Raja, senior advocate of the Supreme Court.

Likewise, Maryam Safdar, and Captain (retd) Safdar, who were earlier represented by Akram Sheikh and Salman Aslam Butt, were replaced by former governor Punjab Shahid Hamid, advocate, respectively.

As the ruling PML-N has changed the strategy for defending the Panama Leaks case in the country’s highest court by changing its legal team, the PTI also submitted some additional documents in the court aimed to substantiate its claim that Maryam Nawaz is the beneficiary of flats in London.

The 40-page documents include details of conversation between British Virgin Islands’ investigation department and Mosack Fonseca Company and emails of Minerva Community Services and Mosack.

In its additional documents, the PTI informed the court that on June 12, 2012, financial investigation agency British Virgin Islands asked Nescoll Limited and Nielsen Enterprises Limited about name and contact details and physical address of the ultimate beneficial owner, registered director and shareholder of the companies.