JIT probe in four countries still incomplete

ISLAMABAD: The findings of the Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) relating to the probe against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members by invoking the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) in at least four foreign countries are so far incomplete.

This aspect of the investigation is going on and this is what has been inscribed in Volume-X: MLA “requests-ongoing (confidential)”. Apparently for this reason, the JIT requested that this volume should be kept secret. The special bench accepted it.

Meanwhile, at certain places, six investigators were not conclusive and certain about what they wrote. At one point, the JIT stated: “In the final analysis, on the basis of the material before the JIT, we conclude (a) the true owner of Mayfair apartments at the time of Al-Towfeek litigation in early 1999 were members of the Sharif family, which included most likely Respondent No.1 (Nawaz Sharif), who seems to be employing his children and the two BVI (British Virgin Island) entities to conceal his true beneficial ownership in the Mayfair apartments.”

The words “most likely”, occurring in this conclusion, promptly attracts attention for the simple reason that a most serious allegation has been leveled against the premier in an indefinite and unsure language.

The JIT report noted that four foreign countries that were approached by the team with the MLA requests are yet to respond while another two had given their replies.The British Virgin Island (BVI) and Ministry of Justice, United Arab Emirates (UAE), attended to the MLA requests while the Saudi Ministry of Interior, British Home Office, UK Central Authority, Central Authority, Switzerland, and Prosecutor General, Luxemburg, have not so far responded.

In its report, the JIT noted that it sent three requests to the BVI; seven requests to Britain, one request each to Saudi Arabia and Luxemburg; seven requests to the UAE and two requests to Switzerland.The JIT report said that the team hired the services of a UK based solicitor firm, QUIST, London, to pursue the MLA requests, arrange forensic investigations, render legal advice and assist in collection and dispatch of relevant record/documents.

A solicitor firm of BVI was also hired to pursue/investigate the queries related to BVI raised in the relevant MLA requests. An acclaimed handwriting expert, The Radley Forensic Document Laboratory, Forensic Handwriting and Document Examination Experts, was hired to analyze and comment on the documents produced by the witnesses pertaining to the UK jurisdiction.