Imran Khan disqualification case: Hanif Abbasi files review petition in SC
January 16, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Hanif Abbasi on Tuesday filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision in the disqualification case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairperson Imran Khan.
Abbasi, in his 13-page review petition, has demanded the disqualification of Imran over non-disclosure of his assets and ownership of offshore companies.
In its December 15 judgment on Abbasi's original petition, the chief justice ruled that Imran is not disqualified as a parliamentarian as the petitioner was not directly affected in the foreign funding case and the judgment further stated that Imran wasn't bound to declare his offshore company, his London flat in an amnesty scheme and that his former wife Jemima gave Imran the funds for buying the Bani Gala estate.
In the review petition filed by Abbasi today, it is stated: “the facts relating to the Bani Gala land clearly show that the Respondent No. 1 was pursuing a deliberate plan to ensure that he could obtain the property as Benami and that there should be no public record of him acquiring the property directly in his own name in the revenue records.”
It further said: “similarly, all payments were purportedly made through Mr. Rashid Ali Khan so that there should be no record of payments being made by Mr. Khan. For all practical purposes Ms. Jemima Khan was being used to serve the same purpose that is desired to be achieved when acquisitions are made in the name of an Offshore Company.”
“The affairs relating to the Bani Gala property clearly disclosed that the property was owned benami by Ms. Jemima Khan, benami for Mr. Niazi. Mr. Niazi should have declared this property in the sworn declarations filed with the ECP. It is clearly on record that Mr. Niazi had taken elaborate measures to conceal his actual link with the property so that there should be no public records to show his link with the property. Money was borrowed in the name of his friend and not in his own name, payments were made by this friend and transfers of property were procured in the name of his wife. As far as public record is concerned, he became the owner through a gift. As a matter of record, the entire sale price was paid by him (partly by borrowing), Ms. Jemima Khan was never in possession of the property, it was clearly admitted in the power of attorney that the property had been purchased by Mr. Niazi and was being held by her benami, the agreement to sell was in the name of Mr. Imran Khan himself, and Mr. Imran Khan had been consistently changing his stance regarding the property,” the review petition stated.
