Panama case references: NAB meeting to be held on Thursday

ISLAMABAD: A crucial meeting of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s executive board has been scheduled for 11am on Thursday, stated a written order issued on Wednesday. 

Sources said the meeting, wherein corruption references against members of the Sharif family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar were to be finalised, was delayed for a day as the bureau’s prosecutor general was in Lahore on Wednesday.

After the Supreme Court announced the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister on July 28, NAB was ordered to file several references against Nawaz, his children Hussain, Hasan, and Maryam, son-in-law MNA Capt (retd) Safdar and Dar.

The accountability bureau was given six weeks, from the date of the court's order, to file the reference in an accountability court.

The references will be reviewed by the bureau’s executive board after which NAB will file the references before the accountability court.

On Tuesday, NAB Chairman Qamar Zaman Chaudhry rejected recommendations by the bureau’s regional chiefs to freeze assets of Sharif family members and Dar, sources told Geo News.

Chaudhry also rejected the recommendation to add the names of Sharif, Hasan, Hussain and Dar on the Exit Control List (ECL).

NAB offices in Lahore and Rawalpindi on Friday had prepared and forwarded references against members of the Sharif family and Dar, requesting their assets be frozen and their names placed to be placed on ECL. 

References

A reference against Nawaz, Maryam, Hussain, Hasan and Capt (retd) Safdar, relating to the Avenfield properties (flats 16, 16-A, 17 and 17-A Avenfield House, Park Lane, London, United Kingdom), has been directed to be filed by NAB. "In preparing and filing this Reference, the NAB shall also consider the material already collected during the course of investigations conducted earlier, as indicated in the detailed judgments," the court ruled.

The court also ordered the filing of a reference against respondents Nawaz, Hussain and Hasan regarding Azizia Steel Company and Hill Metal Establishment.

Then finance minister Ishaq Dar after his session with the Panama case JIT. Photo: File

A reference was ordered against Dar possessing assets and funds beyond his known sources of income, "as discussed in paragraph 9 of the judgment".

The court also ordered NAB to include in its proceedings all other persons including Sheikh Saeed, [nephew of Dar’s wife] Musa Ghani, [son of a retired officer from London Stock Exchange] Kashif Masood Qazi, [Nawaz’s friend] Javaid Kiyani and [National Bank of Pakistan President] Saeed Ahmed, who have any direct or indirect nexus or connection with the actions of Nawaz, Hussain, Hasan, Maryam and Dar, leading to acquisition of assets and funds beyond their known sources of income.

A reference was also ordered against Nawaz, Hussain and Hasan regarding the companies mentioned in paragraph nine of the judgment.

The bench also gave NAB the option to file supplementary reference(s) "if and when any other asset, which is not prima facie reasonably accounted for, is discovered".

The accountability court will then proceed with and decide the aforesaid references within six months from the date of filing.

The Supreme Court has stated that if the accountability court finds any deed, document or affidavit filed by or on behalf of the respondents or any other person to be fake, false, forged or fabricated, it shall take appropriate action against the person concerned as per the law.