Flagship reference: NAB allowed to present new documents against Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday was allowed to present new documents against former prime minister Nawaz sharif in the Flagship reference.

An accountability court Judge Arshad Malik who earlier reserved his decision on the NAB plea after hearing the Nawaz counsel Khawaja Haris arguments, accepted the NAB plea to present new documents against Nawaz Sharif in the Flagship reference.

When the hearing started, Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Harris submitted a request in the court that his client former PM Nawaz Sharif couldn’t appear before the court due to security issues and sought a one-day exemption from appearing before the court in the Flagship Investments reference.

During the hearing, Khawaja Haris opposed NAB's plea and said why these documents were not presented before. He said NAB’s Zahir Shah had corresponded with the UK Central Authority and he had appeared before the court as a witness. “Why were these documents not presented when Shah appeared?”

To this, NAB Deputy Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said that it was mentioned in the supplementary reference that NAB will provide documents after receiving answers. Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris then said NAB should also present related witnesses if it was presenting new documents in the Flagship reference.

Accountability court judge Arshad Malik remarked, “NAB has not mentioned the relation between the documents and Flagship investigation. The court cannot assume on its own the relation between the documents and the investigation officer.” Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all the three references whereas Maryam and Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.