ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court hearing the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Sharif family has adjourned the hearing without any proceedings till August 03.
Judge Muhammad Bashir adjourned the hearing due to under trial plea of Sharif family in Islamabad High Court.
Earlier on July 30, the Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir adjourned the hearing of the Al Azizia and Flagship corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif till August 01 (today).
As the hearing went underway, the court inquired into the presence of Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris. His colleague then informed the court that the counsel is on his way.
Earlier on, hearing of the Al-Azizia Reference, filed by NAB on the directions of the Supreme Court resumed in the accountability court of Judge Muhammad Bashir against Sharif Family.
Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head and prosecution’s main witness Wajid Zia said he did not come across any document during the investigation which showed that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is the owner of Al-Azizia Steel Mills.
As per the bank statement, Nawaz’s son Hussain Nawaz sent him an amount worth US$1.1 million as a ‘gift’ from July 5, 2010, to June 30, 2011. “It is true that the dollars sent to Nawaz were a gift from his son,” Zia remarked.
Nawaz should have declared the amount in the wealth statement for 2010-2011, Zia added.
The National Accountability Bureau prosecutor Wasiq Malik remarked that there is no need to compare the bank statement with tax record, adding “our case is different”.Zia, a Federal Investigation Agency additional director, headed the Panama case Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family’s assets last year.
