JIT starts preparations to question PM

ISLAMABAD: After a two-day weekend break, members of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Panama case on the directions of the Supreme Court on Monday begun preparations to question the prime minister and his family.

The JIT, led by Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Wajid Zia, has received the relevant records from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The record was reviewed and questions that surfaced after comparing the record were separated, to be posed to the premier and his offspring, sources said.

Additionally, sources said that the JIT has decided to bring on board a British audit firm to aid their investigation.

The SECP representative in the high-level probe body, Bilal Rasool, has been given the responsibility to bring acquire the firm’s services.  

Moreover, sources said the JIT will only take into consideration authenticated documents, saying some documents submitted by NAB were unverified.

On May 11, the JIT asked the ECP to provide the prime minister's assets declaration, sources said.

The ECP received the JIT's letter on May 10, which asks for asset declarations from 2013 to 2016.

Read more: JIT asks election commission for prime minister's asset declarations

ECP’s secrecy branch compiled a file of the assets declaration and sent it to the chief election commissioner, as per the sources.

The JIT also asked for the asset declaration of the premier's son-in-law and MNA Captain (retd) Mohammad Safdar. 

On May 10, a session of the JIT was held to decide on the investigation method for the Panama Papers case.

The team of investigators had decided to seek assistance from the FIA and experts in the private sector.

The Supreme Court’s special bench constituted the JIT to probe funds used by the prime minister's children to buy properties in London through offshore businesses.

Earlier, the JIT members had met at the Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad, which has now been declared the JIT Secretariat. The members have also moved their offices to the location for the investigation.