ISLAMABAD: In a surprising move, Wajid Zia, head of the joint investigation team (JIT) which probed corruption allegations against deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, presented a letter from former Qatari prince Hamad bin Jassim as evidence in the accountability court.
The accountability court hearing corruption cases against the Sharif family resumed proceedings into the Avenfield properties reference on Thursday. Interestingly, the defense counsel did not raise any objections to the admissibility of the Qatari letter as evidence. However, Maryam’s counsel objected to Wajid Zia submitting documents signed by Irfan Mangi, who was also a member of the JIT. He argued that Mangi can himself submit the documents if and when he appears in the court as a witness. Zia responded that he should be allowed to submit the documents his way, to which the judge inquired as to where the source material of the JIT report originated from.
Maryam’s counsel Amjaz Pervez and the prosecutor argued over the defence’s plea to not make the entire JIT report part of the court record. The judge, after a short recess, partially approved the plea and ordered that the JIT report’s analysis and the statements of witnesses it recorded will not be made part of the court record. Zia’s complete statement could not be recorded. The hearing was adjourned until Friday (today) when Zia will continue recording his statement.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed three interim corruption references against the Sharif family in September last year in light of the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case. The bureau recently filed supplementary references in all three cases as well.
Published in Daily Times, March 16th 2018.
