Departments send names to SC for JIT

SBP likely to submit names today

ISLAMABAD: The top spy agencies – Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) – have forwarded names of half a dozen officers of the rank of brigadier to the country’s top court for the Joint Investigation Team (JIT).

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) is going to form the JIT next week to probe the Panama Papers evidence and had directed the ISI, MI, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) to submit names of senior officers by today (Thursday). 

“We’ve sent names of around half dozen officers with rank of brigadiers to the concerned quarter [court]. Three officers each from ISI and MI for the JIT,” a military officer told this correspondent on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to media.

The SECP has also forwarded three names to the apex court for JIT, officials said. These officers were Yasir Manzoor, Director Surveillance, Muzaffar Mirza, Director Law, and Tariq Bakhtawar, Senior Director.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also sent three names to the Supreme Court for the JIT. The names of other two additional DGs — Captain (R) Ahmed Latif and Dr Shafiqur Rehman — have also been sent but Ahemd Latif said he might not be able to perform this role due to some personal engagements. Additional Director General (BPS-21) Wajid Zia, whose name was also sent on Tuesday, will most likely head the team. 

The NAB, which is also making its mind to go for review of the 20th April judgment, has also sent names of three senior officers for the JIT to the SC. These names were: Muhammad Rizwan, SM Hasnain and Nauman Aslam. Before this, NAB top management shortlisted names of DG NAB (operations) Zahir Shah, DG NAB Multan Attiqur Rehman, DG Lahore Major (R) Shahzad Saleem, DG Quetta Naeem Mangi and Director Farmanullah for the JIT. 

Meanwhile, the SBP is sending three names today (Thursday). The SBP senior management could not finalise the names on Wednesday as they were still discussing the matter with the SPB governor who is accompanying Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the United States. Both dignitaries are on their official trip to Washington DC, officials said. They, however, have shortlisted names of some senior officers for the JIT. They include Dr Tariq Hassan, Hafiz Muhammad Yousaf, Zubyr Soomro, Khawaja Iqbal Hassan, Zafar Masud, Ardeshir Khursheed Markar, Muhammad Riaz and Sarmad Amin.

Officials said that one of judges, who is a part of Panama Papers SC bench, is in Turkey and will return next week. So the SC panama bench will finalise names of JIT next week, they added. 

Officials of the SECP, FIA and NAB said they could hire services of foreign firms, if the top court asked so, to assist the JIT in investigating offshore companies or tracking the money trail as the commission does not have any forensic experts. Both institutions had hired services of firms in the past. The SECP in particular had hired the services of US-based M/s Diligence to conduct forensic investigation of a stock exchange scam in Karachi in 2005.