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Tuesday May 07, 2024

Maryam not cleared by SC in Panama case?

By Usman Manzoor
April 26, 2017

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) in the Panama Papers case, in its main judgment handed down by Justice Ijaz Afzal, has not exonerated Maryam Nawaz Sharif on account of her beneficial owner status in one of the offshore companies linked to the Shairf Family. 

It has been left upon the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate and submit the report to the SC. The judgment has ordered the JIT to specifically probe “who, in fact, is the real and beneficial owner of M/s Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited,” which involves the question of Maryam’s beneficial status in the offshore companies that she has been denying.

However, Maryam has been declared not dependent of her father by the apex court. It was misreported in the media that Maryam Nawaz Sharif had been cleared on the allegation of having any beneficial interest in an offshore company, in fact the main judgment of the apex court had not concluded this point.

In fact, PTI alleged Maryam of being the owner of the companies but could not prove it in the court. The PTI had forcefully argued this point in the Supreme Court but failed to present any evidence in this regard. That is why the Supreme Court had not named Maryam in the verdict.