Sharifs want to take case to trial court so it drags on: Sherry

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) senior leader Sherry Rehman regretted on Thursday that the prime minister and his family are attempting to delay the Panama Papers case.

Addressing the media alongside other party leaders after the Supreme Court hearing, Sherry said it is sad how “they want to drag the case and send the case to the trial court so it can be delayed further”.

The PPP leader said since a year judges have been asking about a money trail but it is yet to be provided to their satisfaction. “Today, Maryam’s counsel accepted she is the beneficial owner of offshore companies,” she said, adding that it is tragic that they [Sharifs] have no credible defence nor are trying to put one up.

PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira said a saga was presented in court today regarding the machinery sent from Dubai to Jeddah.

“The structures on which the cases of the prime minister and his children were standing have been badly damaged today by their own lawyers,” he said, adding that tomorrow (Friday) the case will be concluded in his opinion. 

Thursday's hearing

On Thursday, the Supreme Court’s Panama case implementation bench observed that prima facie, the case relates to submission of forged documents.

This was the fourth consecutive hearing of the three-member bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, following the submission of the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) final probe report into the Sharif family’s businesses.

During the hearing, Justice Ijaz remarked that there is a seven-year imprisonment term for those who submit false documents in court.

Throughout Thursday’s hearing, the members of the bench remarked at different times the absence of any money trail with regards to the Sharif family's London properties as well as the Azizia Steel Mills in Jeddah.

Justice Ejaz observed that in case the ownership and money trail of the London properties is not proved by the premier’s children, they will question the public office holder.

During the hearing, the counsel for the premier's children, Salman Akram Raja also submitted a 17-page petition listing objections on the JIT report, pleading for dismissal of the report and its 'evidence'.

Justice Ijaz observed that producing the Qatari prince before the JIT was Hussain’s responsibility as the sheikh was his star witness.

Earlier this week, the bench heard arguments of the petitioners over the JIT report, submitted on July 10, and is now hearing the replies of the respondents.