ISLAMABAD – Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent a legal notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan over his claims that he was offered Rs10 billion by a man on behalf of Sharif family to keep mum over Panama Papers case.
The letter sent under The Defamation Ordinance, 2002 and Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 asks the PTI chief to apologise within 14 days or else the matter would be taken to a court of law.
The legal battle that is likely to make headlines in the coming weeks started after Imran Khan claimed that a “mutual friend” of him and Sharif family made an offer of Rs 10bn to him on behalf of Shehbaz Sharif and Hamza Shehbaz so that he keeps quiet regarding the Panama Leaks.
PTI supremo did not reveal the name of the mysterious friend, and Sharif family including Maryam Nawaz dubbed him a liar for his claims.
When pressure ramped up on the cricketer-turned-politician he agreed to disclose the name of the person but only in front of the court.
On the other hand, Pakistan Peoples Party stalwart Nabeel Gabol divulged that the man who allegedly offered Imran Khan a staggering Rs 10 billion as bribe on behalf of Sharif family was ‘ Umer Farooq Goldie’, the owner of Shapes fitness gym Lahore.
However, when Goldie was contacted by The News, he denied the allegations altogether.
“Impossible. Neither did anyone make any such offer to me nor did I come to know about any such development,” Goldie claimed.
