Tareen gets 10 days to submit children's income tax returns, offshore company details

By
GEO NEWS
|

ISLAMABAD: The three-member Supreme Court bench hearing the disqualification case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Jahangir Khan Tareen gave the respondent 10 days to submit income tax returns of his children as well as records of his offshore company. 

As the three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab, began hearing the case, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hanif Abbasi's counsel presented his arguments.  

Justice Bandial, addressing Abbasi's counsel, observed that the petitioner has not provided any material regarding Tareen's offshore company. The judge wondered why the counsel brought forward the matter of the offshore company if he did not have sufficient material on it. 

The counsel informed the bench that Tareen showed his agriculture revenue to be Rs540 million to the Federal Board of Revenue whereas the same was shown as Rs120 million to the Election Commission of Pakistan. He said the difference is of Rs420 million in 2010.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar responded that if he paid less income tax then it is a matter between Tareen and the income tax authorities.

This is not our concern as we are looking at issues of being Sadiq and Amin, the chief justice observed further.

On Wednesday, the bench had sought answers to five questions from Tareen’s counsel.

The questions were when was Jahangir Tareen's trust formed, when was the offshore company formed, who’s the legal and beneficial owner of the company, when and for how much was the offshore company formed, and how many times did he give funds as gifts to his children from 2002-17?

Tareen's counsel, on Thursday, attempted to provide answers to those questions but could not do so completely due to lack of time. 

The hearing was later adjourned after the bench gave Tareen's counsel 10 days to submit income tax returns of Tareen's children as well as records of the PTI leader's offshore company.

Abbasi had petitioned the apex court to disqualify Tareen and PTI Chairman Imran Khan for hiding their assets.

The petition alleges that Tareen owns offshore companies in the name of his children, shared gifts worth over Rs1.6 billion among family members, and is involved in insider trading in the shares of United Sugar Mills Limited in 2005.

Tareen was elected member of the National Assembly from NA-154, Lodhran in the 2013 General Elections.