Avenfield case: Nawaz, Maryam’s seven-day exemption plea rejected

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court reserved its decision on the prosecution's plea seeking to submit fresh evidence against Nawaz Sharif and his family. 

Hearing the Avenfield reference case on Friday, Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir allowed Nawaz Sharif and Maryam a one-day exemption from being present in court as both are in London with the former prime minister's ailing wife. 

The bench, however, denied the defence's one-week-long exemption plea and remarked that in case the defendants could not appear due to an unavoidable obligation the counsel may submit another exemption request. 

Earlier, prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi informed the court that NAB’s international cooperation wing has obtained additional documents related to the Avenfield and Flagship investment cases.

The documents relate to the registry record of the London flats, utility bills and council tax.

The documents were received in response to the Panama case JIT’s letter, the prosecutor said further, adding that NAB also received a response from the UK central authority.

He also claimed that the suspects attempted to conceal these documents.

In his arguments, Maryam’s counsel Amjad Pervez said that the witnesses in the case have already been cross-examined with regards to the registry record.

NAB has also decided to produce NAB Operations Director General Zahir Shah as a new witness. 

Shah will submit fresh evidence against the accused that he acquired from the British government.

The NAB investigation officer and DG operations are the last two witnesses in the case after the hectic cross-examination of Wajid Zia concluded over several weeks. 

Zia is an additional director at the Federal Investigation Agency who headed the Panama case joint investigation team (JIT) which probed the Sharif family’s assets last year.

New evidence 

As per the documents acquired by Shah, the Sharif family's London apartments were transferred to the possession of offshore companies Nielson and Nescoll in 1993-1995, and not in 2005-2006.

NAB acquires new documents on Sharifs' Avenfield properties

In various statements, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has said the Avenfield properties were transferred in the name of the companies in 2005-2006 and that they belonged to his children.

But in 1993-1995 Nawaz’s children Hussain and Hasan were young and did not have any source of income. Therefore, they cannot be considered owners of the properties and thus the former premier was their real owner, the documents state.

Nawaz speaks to media about return, wife's health

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz former president was speaking to media in London, where he informed them about the current condition of Kulsoom Nawaz, who is undergoing treatment for cancer.

He said that the chemotherapy treatment of his ailing wife Begum Kulsoom Nawaz has ended.

While responding to a question about his return to the country, where he is currently facing cases corruption cases against him, Nawaz said that the decision to return depends on court’s judgement on exemption from appearance before it.

Nawaz further spoke about his wife's health, saying that the doctors have informed that surgery will be done if cancer reappears.

The former prime minister said that the results will be compared after radiotherapy to ascertain whether surgical procedure is required or not.

Nawaz Sharif further said that prayers are needed for Kulsoom Nawaz and every ailing person’s speedy recovery.

The cases

The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017.

NAB to file three supplementary references against Nawaz

The corruption references, filed against the Sharifs, pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and Avenfield properties of London.

Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.