Al-Azizia reference: JIT report is biased, without evidence, says Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday termed JIT investigation into corruption reference against him biased, without evidence and incredible.

Accountability court judge Muhammad Arshad Malik on Monday resumed hearing into the Al-Azizia corruption reference against former PM Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz has to answer 151 questions and he has already answered 147 questions.

Former PM stated before the court, “that the money in my account from abroad is correct, however the statements recorded in front of the JIT were not acceptable and credible.” He retreated that statements recorded by an investigation agency could not be presented in the court as evidence, and that the Panama JIT’s investigations were biased and lacked proper evidence.

Former PM said that without any evidence Hassan and Hussain Nawaz’s statements could not be used against him. While recording his statement, Nawaz Sharif became emotional and addressed the accountability court judge saying, “I had no idea why this case was even initiated in the first place,” and added, “The prosecution would not know as well why this case was initiated.”

Former PM Nawaz further said, “People worldwide study and conduct businesses abroad, how it is a miracle if my children sent money abroad.’ “My children would have been accused had they done businesses in Pakistan and even now when they have businesses abroad they are being accused,” he added.

To this NAB prosecutor said, “The case is not about you owning business abroad, rather how you did business abroad.” Nawaz responded if the government hadn’t forced his family out, his children would have set up their businesses in Pakistan. Nawaz stated, “We were forced to leave in 1971, then again in 1999, even though I wasn’t in politics in 1971. “We didn’t leave the country on our own will if my children didn’t go out would they have spent their entire life begging”

Nawaz Sharif further said that there is no evidence of corruption and receiving kickback against them. He told the court that the money deposited in his account from abroad was documented correctly in FBR records, whereas a plea was submitted in the Supreme Court on his behalf rejecting the “so-called evidence” and report presented by the JIT. The court adjourned the hearing till Thursday.