ISLAMABAD – Amjad Pervaiz, the defence counsel in the Avenfield reference, told the accountability court on Friday that the Sharif family might have been linked with the posh London flats at some time, however, Nawaz Sharif was never associated with the said property.
During the hearing of the reference filed against Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar by the National Accountability Bureau, the counsel presented prosecution witness Mazhar Raza Bangash’s letter, questioning its authenticity.
“Bangash said he presented the record in a sealed envelope, however, NAB’s star witness Zawar Manzoor has said that the envelope was not sealed,” Pervez contended.
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He argued that the documents submitted by Bangash were photocopied and thus could not be made part of the court’s record as per Pakistan’s Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 (Law of Evidence).
He told Judge Muhammad Bashir that it was to be seen if the verdict of Queen’s bench was admissible evidence, adding that the summary of even that decision was not related to the indictment.
The defence lawyer also objected to the absence of Shezi Naqvi who had submitted an affidavit in the case.
He also objected to the report devised by Rehman Malik regarding the alleged money laundering and said it was not official and even the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had not accepted it.
Nawaz is neither the owner of the London flats and nor occupied them since 1993, he told the judge with confidence.
The court then summoned Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, who headed the six-member Panama case joint investigation team (JIT), on July 3 for the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
As many as three references were filed against the members of former ruling family in line with the directives issued by the apex court.
Nawaz Sharif and his sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references – Hill Metal establishment, London flats and offshore firms – whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law MNA Capt (retd) Safdar are named in the Avenfield reference only.
Hussain and Hassan Nawaz are UK-based and have been absconding since the proceedings began last year, however, the former premier has been showing up regularly before the court of judge Muhammad Bashir.
Currently, both Nawaz and Maryam are in London to tend to cancer-suffering Kulsoom Nawaz.
