References against Sharifs: NAB tells court land registry of Avenfield Apartments not certified

ISLAMABAD: Former president Asif Ali Zardari was acquitted of corruption references due to one of the core reasons that NAB prosecution could not produce certified or original record and the references were based on photocopies.

In the corruption references against Sharif family, defence counsels have been continuously raising objections over many documents that are neither original nor certified. NAB’s Director General Operations Zahir Shah, who has recorded his testimony in Avenfield Apartments and Flagship corruption references on the basis of some additional documents, admitted that copies they received regarding official title of registry (land registry) of Avenfield Apartments are not certified.

However, he admitted that the documents they received pertaining to the Flagship corruption reference have a stamp of certified copies. Previously NAB’s prosecution witness Zahir Shah had said that under National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) Section 21-G, the documents received with an MLA need no certification.

Meanwhile, accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir here Tuesday adjourned hearing in the Flagship corruption reference till today (Wednesday) after court directed Zahir Shah to produce five mutual legal assistance (MLA) applications that JIT had written to the United Kingdom Central Authority (UKCA) regarding Flagship reference. It directed Shah to produce the MLAs on the request of Nawaz Sharif’s legal counsel Kh Haris Ahmad.

In Tuesday’s proceedings, legal counsel for Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain Safdar, advocate Amjad Pervez completed cross-examination on Shah in Avenfield Apartments corruption reference while Nawaz’s counsel had completed this Monday. Later, Shah recorded his statement in Flagship corruption reference and was partially cross-examined by Nawaz’s counsel.

At the start of hearing, Zahir Shah while responding to the questions posed at him by Amjad Pervez in Avenfield corruption reference, agreed to the proposition that UKCA replied NAB’s request dated October 31, 2017 and the reply has no mention of any MLA initiated by the joint investigation team. He also agreed to the statement that there is no mention in the UKCA reply that a request was forwarded to them for acquisition of official title of registry (land registry) record of Avenfield Apartments.

Advocate Amjad Pervez also pointed out that the UKCA reply do not mentions that on which date it received NAB’s request. He also pointed out that the documents that NAB received from UKCA regarding Flagship reference have stamps and inscription of certified copies while the official title of registry of Avenfield Apartments has no such stamps and inscriptions.

Zahir Shah was also questioned about the volume-X of the JIT report on which he said the NAB prosecution wing through a letter to the Supreme Court Registrar got Volume-X and its relevant portions were handed over to the investigation officers. To a question that do you know documents in Volume-X had been highlighted in media, Shah said he do not follow the media.

Zahir Shah also agreed that no formal notification was issued authorising him to initiate MLAs. There was also exchange of the harsh words between prosecution and defence as advocate Pervez objected that the prosecutor was putting words into the witness mouth.

After Pervez concluded his cross-examination, Zahir Shah recorded his statement in Flagship corruption reference. Flagship corruption reference is about the offshore companies including Flagship Investments Ltd, Hartstone Properties Ltd, Que Holdings Ltd, Quint Eaton Place 2 Ltd, Quint Saloane Ltd (formerly Quint Eaton Place Ltd), Quaint Ltd, Flagship Securities Ltd, Quint Gloucester Place Ltd, Quint Paddington Ltd (formerly Rivates Estates Ltd), Flagship Developments Ltd, Alanna Services Ltd (British Virgin Island-BVI), Lankin SA (BVI), Chadron Inc, Ansbacher Inc, Coomber Inc and Capital FZE (Dubai).

Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif is the sole accused left in this reference after his sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz did not appear before the court and they were declared absconders. Nawaz was indicted in Flagship reference on October 20, 2017.

Zahir Shah produced before the court annual returns of the companies, memorandum of article of association, list of directors and shareholders and official title of registry of some properties in the name of some offshore companies. While cross-examining, Kh Haris requested the court to direct the witness to produce MLAs dated May 27, 2017, two MLAs of June 6, 2017, June 22, 2017 and June 27, 2017.  Further hearing will be held today (Wednesday).