Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jasim bin Jaber al Thani. PHOTO: AFP
A five-judge bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, has been hearing a slew of petitions against the Sharif family over alleged corruption. While hearing the Panamagate case, the Supreme Court had said that the onus of proof of the money trail of London flats lies on the shoulders of the Sharif family.
London flats were bought through Qatari investments, Sharif family tells SC
The PM’s sons--Hussain and Hassan Nawaz--submitted the letter in the court. The letter quoted Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jasim bin Jaber al Thani as claiming that an investment of 12 million dirhams contributed by Mian Muhammad Sharif [father of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif] was made “by way of provision of cash”.
“In 1980, Mian Mohammad Sharif made an investment of approximately twelve million AED ($3.25 million) in the real estate business of the al Thani family. This investment was made by way of provision of cash, which was [a] common practice in the Gulf region at the time of [the] investment,” wrote the Qatari prince in his second letter.
The Qatari letter states: “At the end of 2005, after reconciling all accruals and other distributions made over the term of the investment, it was agreed that an amount of approximately $8,000,000 was due to Mr Sharif. In accordance with Mr Sharif’s wishes, the amount due to him was settled in 2006 by way of the delivery to Hussain Nawaz representatives of bearer shares of Nescoll Limited and Neilson Enterprises Limited [British Virgin Islands-based firms] which had been kept during that time in Qatar.”
Salman Akram Raja, the counsel for the PM’s sons, also submitted 136-page additional statements along with different documentary evidence to establish the money trail of acquiring the London flats, the payment of the liability to Al-Towfeeq Investments and the business of Hassan in 2001.
The Sharif family says: “The London properties were acquired by Hassan Nawaz on account of the settlement made with the al Thani family of Qatar whereby a sum equivalent to $3.2 million entrusted with the family was adjusted after other distributions from accruals and principal of the said sum.”
The documents also state that since 1982, the Sharif family has also established several industrial units in the country.
The family also attached a letter of a UK-based solicitor namely Lawrence Radley, claiming that he acted on behalf of the purchasers of the London properties (flats) in 1993-96.
“To the best of recollection, the properties were purchased through two B.V.I., companies -- Nelson Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited-- and my instructions to purchase were not provided by any member of the Sharif family,” says the letter dated January 17 and addressed to Salman Akram Raja.
Qatari prince’s letter thickens Panamagate plot
During the course of Thursday’s hearing, when Shahid Hamid, the counsel for the Sharif family, read the letter, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed: “This seems to be another Qatari letter, which is based on the recollection of the solicitor’s mind.”
Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan observed: “The court cannot give judgment on the basis of such letter(s).”
The additional statement also reveals that the sale of the Jeddah Steel Mills did play a role in the purchase of the London properties. The top court has also sought a full record of gift transactions among the Sharif family.
Earlier, Shahid Hamid stated that the petitioner Imran Khan approached the Supreme Court with a mala fide motive. The counsel while referring to the Zafar Ali Shah case judgment stated that the petitioner had welcomed the ouster of PM Nawaz Sharif through the military coup. Upon this, the bench told him that it was also mentioned in the same verdict that former Jamaat-e- Islami Ameer the late Qazi Hussain Ahmad had also welcomed his ouster.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2017.
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