Nawaz, Maryam request to visit London rejected

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court judge, Muhammad Bashir, on Thursday for the second time dismissed an application of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz, seeking exemption for a week from court proceedings to visit the ailing Begum Kulsoom Nawaz in London.

Previously, the judge had dismissed a similar application four months ago in November last year.

The applicant had also attached the medical certificates of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz with their plea, according to which she had to undergo a surgery and they were needed to see her. They had sought one-week exemption from March 26.

The counsel for Nawaz, Khawaja Haris, said Begum Kulsoom Nawaz was in a critical condition and she needed her immediate relations to be with her.

NAB prosecutor Malik Wasiq, opposing the application, said according to the medical certificate, it wasn’t a matter of life and death. “These cases have to conclude within next two months. Nawaz Sharif is the sole accused under trial in Al-Azizia and Flagship corruption references, while Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz are absconding. As per law, the sole accused cannot claim exemption from the court proceedings,” he added.

“We even filed an application before the Ministry of Interior, seeking to put the names of the accused persons on exit control list (ECL),” the prosecutor said.

The judge reserved the order for an hour after hearing the arguments and later rejected the application.

Meanwhile, Wajid Zia, the JIT head, carried on with his statement in the Avenfield reference where he shared his opinion, inferences and the conclusions drawn by the JIT after the court on Wednesday allowed him through a written order to record the statement, with the objections raised by the defence on admissibility to be decided later.

Wajid said the JIT concluded that at the time of $8million loan settlement with Al-Tawfiq in 2000, the Sharif family was the true owner of the London flats, including Nawaz Sharif who seemed to have employed his children and the British Virgin Island company to conceal his status of true beneficial owner.

Wajid said neither the transfer of Nelson and Nescol companies nor the settlement of $8million with Al-Tawfiq had any documentary evidence. The JIT, however, assessed the evidence and material – including the response of UAE government, the BVI attorney general office, forensic expert Robert William Radley – found that there was sufficient reasons to believe that the testimony of Prince Hammad bin Jassim Al Khalifa Al Thani in any case was not of much value.

He produced a sale agreement dated April 14, 1980 of Gulf Steel Mill through which 75 per cent shares were sold to one Abdullah Ahli and said it was a fake document.

At this, the defence counsels – Khawaja Haris and Amjad Pervaiz –strongly objected and said the prosecution witness had used strong words.