Disqualification case: Imran's counsel fails to satisfy Supreme Court
The petition was filed by PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi and seeks Imran's disqualification
September 26, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court resumed on Tuesday the hearing of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hanif Abbasi’s petition seeking Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman (PTI) Imran Khan’s disqualification.
The PTI chief's counsel, Naeem Bukhari, is presenting his arguments before a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
At the start of the hearing, Bukhari informed the court that they have presented all the relevant record before the bench.
The chief justice observed that the record of $126,000 is still not present, to which Bukhari responded that the record of these transactions is unavailable.
Responding to the chief justice's query asking from which amount did [Imran's former wife] Jemima become the land owner, Bukhari said Jemima became the land owner of the Bani Gala property from the amount sent from London.
According to you, the proceeds from the sale of the London flat were deposited in the account of Niazi Services Limited and sent to Jemima from this account, the chief justice remarked.
Justice Bandial observed that according to the 2003 record of the bank, the account of Niazi Services Limited is not available.
During the hearing, Imran's accountant also presented his arguments but failed to satisfy the court regarding the origin and transfer of funds from the sale of Imran's London flat to the purchase of his estate in Bani Gala, Islamabad.
The hearing is still under way.
The petition seeks the disqualification of Imran Khan and PTI Secretary General Jahangir Tareen for the non-disclosure of assets, ownership of offshore companies and for PTI being a foreign-funded party.
On September 23, Abbasi submitted documents in the Supreme Court containing tax returns provided by Imran to the Election Commission of Pakistan in his nomination papers for the 2003-2006 period.
The documents submitted by Abbasi included financial details of the sale of Imran’s London apartment in 2004. The documents also do not have any mention of a loan taken from Imran’s former wife Jemima Khan for the PTI chief's Bani Gala residence.
The Supreme Court, in the last hearing on September 12, had said that the PTI chairman's counsel Naeem Bukhari has yet to submit complete details of the Bani Gala property purchase.
The chief justice inquired about the details of funds sent by Jemima for the Bani Gala property purchase, adding that the reply does not include details of how the property was purchased in Jemima's name. You need to satisfy the court regarding the 160,000 pounds, the chief justice said.
Justice Bandial observed that a discrepancy exists between documents submitted by the PTI chairman earlier and now.
Moreover, the chief justice observed during the course of hearing that the PTI chairman has submitted copies of documents that are unverified.
