Capital FZE docs have no evidential value, admits Wajid

ISLAMABAD: Wajid Zia, the head of Panama Papers JIT, admitted before the Accountability Court on Monday that the source documents collected by the JIT have no evidential value in a court of law and most of the documents relating to Jable Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) regarding ex-Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, including his Iqama, were source documents.

All the sources documents regarding FZE JAFZA in Panama Papers case were provided to the JIT by Guernica 37 International Justice Chamber, Wajid Zia said during his cross examination. It is worth mentioning here that Guernica 37 International Justice Chamber is a London based law firm run by Toby Cadman which was previously hired by Pervez Musharraf to seek advice regarding cases against him in Pakistan.

Mian Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court in July last year making base the same Iqama and that he when he was an employee of his son’s company he should have declared the receivable salary even if he did not withdraw it.

Wajid Zia told the court that the JIT had received the source documents before its members visited Dubai to get further details. He said that the two JIT members took along few documents relating to Capital FZE provided by Guernica 37 to UAE. Wajid Zia admitted that JIT did a mistake by declaring one document provided by Hussain Nawaz as source document whereas it wasn’t a source document.

Zia said that the JIT members did not go to Dubai for certification of the documents provided by Guernica 37, and neither did the JAFZA certified any document. He also added that the JAFZA did not certify the trading license of the Capital FZE.

The entire cross-examination on Monday revolved around source documents gathered by JIT regarding Capital FZE. When the prosecution objected that Khawaja Haris cannot ask questions regarding source documents, Haris said, “It is my right to know which document is a source document and which is not because Wajid Zia had admitted that Source documents have not evidential value and he has built a case against my client based on source documents.”

Haris maintained that the JIT has rejected Rehman Malik’s report regarding Avenfield Apartments saying that it was based on source documents but Wajid Zia has attached a document which is an affidavit of one Shezy Nakvi saying that JIT has collected evidence against Mian Nawaz Sharif and family whereas, in his affidavit Mr Nakvi himself states that he came to know about link of Avenfiled Apartments with the Sharif Family because Rehman Malik’s report says so. “On one hand Mr Zia is saying that source documents have no evidential value whereas on the other hand the entire JIT is relying on a document which is based upon source documents”, Khawaja Haris said.

When Zia was asked why did the JIT not attach all source documents with the report, he replied that it would have become another volume had it been done. He also stated that the JIT did not investigate the documents obtained from Guernica 37 and it only needed confirmation which was given by JAFZA. At one point, Khawaja Haris while making correction in the question asked by him said to the judge that it was judge who has to decide but he will not let anyone to distort the record.