ISLAMABAD – Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, Deputy Prosecutor General, National Accountability Bureau, remarked on Friday that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif bought Avenfield properties with embezzled money which is why he transferred the said properties to his children.
During the hearing of the case, Abbasi also quoted one of the statements of Nawaz Sharif that those who buy property through corrupt means do not put it in their name.
The Avenfield reference, pertaining to the Sharifs’ London properties, is among three filed against the family by NAB last year on the Supreme Court’s directives.
The NAB official said Nawaz’s statements were presented in the court as an evidence from the prosecution, which meant to prove that a public office holders do not keep illegally earned assets in their name.
‘NAB has presented direct proofs of Nawaz being the actual owner of the London flats,’ argued the official.
Previous Hearing
At the previous hearing held a day earlier, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s Additional Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi asserted that former premier Nawaz Sharif was the actual owner of the flats in the upscale neighbourhood of London.
The official continued his arguments in the Avenfield reference and stated that the accused did not justify the sources for acquisition of the London flats.
He argued that the prosecution’s job was to prove that the properties were in possession of the accused standing trial under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO); it did prove the accusation.
Sardar contended that whatever sources the accused provided to the court have already been rebutted and proven ‘fake’ adding that the onus of proof was on the accused now.
The NAB official remarked that Nawaz and his family hid their ownership through offshore companies adding that there were no records to show that bearers shares were transferred from Prince Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani to Hussain Nawaz, as claimed by the former ruling family.
Abbasi also spoke on the issue of Qatari prince and denied the allegations that the Qatari prince was threatened.
Referring to letters of the Qatari royal and final settlement of London flats in 2006, Abbasi said that the arrangement between former prime minister Sharif’s father, Mian Muhammad Sharif, and the royals has already been disapproved by the six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT).
‘Sharif’s sons Hussain and Hassan went to London in early 1990s and resided in the said apartments in 1993 and 1994, respectively,’ disclosed the official.
He went a mile more and said the accused did not disclose ownership of the flats till 2006 as it was made mandatory by law to do so.
