Panama leaks: NAB prosecutor asked to appear in court

Advocate argues Panamagate scandal is a sensitive matter that demands probe

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has asked the NAB prosecutor general to appear in court on a petition against the bureau for not initiating a probe into offshore companies owned by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.

A division bench headed by Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf heard a petition filed by a local journalist on Tuesday. The bench issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue for October 5.

Earlier, Advocate Azhar Siddique, who represented the petitioner, argued that the matter of the Panama leaks was sensitive and needed to be investigated without delay. He said allegations about the country’s rulers owning offshore companies had brought a bad name to the country.

Siddiqui said several applications had been filed to the NAB chairperson to take action against the prime minister, his family members and all others named in the leaks. However, no enquiry had been initiated into the matter.

He said NAB had no reason to initiate its enquiries after the chief justice of Pakistan refused to constitute a judicial commission without a consensus between the government and the opposition on terms of reference (TORs). He said Section 18 of the NAB ordinance empowered the bureau to initiate an enquiry into any matter on its own.

The lawyer asked the court to direct NAB to initiate an investigation into allegations of offshore companies established by leaders.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 21^st, 2016.