Rehman Malik appears before Panama JIT to record statement

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Rehman Malik on Friday appeared before the joint investigation team (JIT), investigating the assets of the Sharif family, to record his statement.

Talking to media outside Federal Judicial Academy (FJA), Malik said that he had brought all documents and letters which he had sent to the then president regarding the case. All these will be submitted to the JIT.

Malik, who is also former interior minister, had conducted investigation against Nawaz Sharif on corruption charges during the second tenure of Benazir Bhutto in 1990s while being in the FIA.

Today, he will inform the JIT about the involvement of Sharif family in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.

Earlier, JIT asked Malik to appear before the team on June 17, but he requested for extending the date due to his foreign tour.

Panama Verdict

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had announced the verdict of landmark Panama case on April 20, in which it ordered the formation of a Joint Investigation Team to probe the offshore assets of Sharif family.

Representatives from Intra Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence, State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and National Accountability Bureau are part of the team headed by Wajid Zia of Federal Investigation Agency.

In its judgement, the Supreme Court had also outlined the scope of the proposed JIT, which would probe how the Gulf Steel Mills in UAE came into being, what led to its sale, what happened to its liabilities, where did its sale proceeds end up, how did they reach Jeddah, Qatar and the UK, whether Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz in view of their ages at the time had the means to possess and purchase the flats, and whether the sudden appearance of the letters of Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani of the Qatar was a myth or a reality.

The court also asked how bearer shares translated into the four upscale flats in London, who was the real and beneficial owner of Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited, how did Hill Metal Establishment come into existence, where did the money for Flagship Investment Limited and other companies set up or taken over by Hassan Nawaz and where did the working capital for such companies come from and where do the huge sums running into millions gifted by Hussain Nawaz to the prime minister drop in from, Dawn News reported.

JIT

On May 6, the apex court formed a team comprising FIA Additional Director Wajid Zia, who is heading the investigation JIT, SBP officer Amer Aziz, SECP Executive Director Bilal Rasool, Balochistan NAB DG Irfan Naeem Mangi, intelligence officials retired Brig Nauman Saeed and Brig Kamran Khurshid.