NAB team arrives in London to investigate Sharifs offshore assets

LONDON - A special team of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrived in London to probe the offshore assets of the Sharif family currently tangled up in multiple references.

The team which landed at the Heathrow airport on Thursday will visit various private and government departments to collect tangible evidence against the former ruling family.

According to a NAB official, the team included members of the bureau’s combined investigation team that had prepared four corruption and money laundering references against ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's family and one reference against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for having assets beyond his known sources of income.

"During its stay [in London] the team will contact the UK authorities to seek a reply to its queries regarding the Sharif family’s Avenfield properties. Besides, it will reach out to some important witnesses to record their statements ahead of the indictment of the Sharif family members," the official said.

Before the team arrived in London, NAB authorities wrote a letter to British authorities and appealed for cooperation in the investigation.

The posh Avenfield flats 16, 16-A, 17, 17-A of Sharif family reverberated during the hearing of the Panama papers case in the supreme court and the graft-buster's team is likely to collect more information about its ownership as well.

While the NAB team is visiting London, an accountability court in Islamabad is hearing three corruption references against Sharif family, and has issued arrest warrants of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain

The court has also issued arrest warrants against ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz, while declaring them proclaimed offenders.

On the other hand, Maryam Nawaz and Capt (retd) Safdar are likely to be indicted today (Thursday) in references regarding Park Lane apartments, Al Azizia Steel Mills and offshore companies.

Former Premier Nawaz Sharif is still in London with his lymphoma suffering wife Kulsoom Nawaz and according to Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, the PML-N president would be arriving back in the country soon.