Panamagate probe team: Top court summons SBP, SECP chiefs with list of officials

Says will ensure inquiry is impartial, transparent

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has summoned the heads of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on Friday (tomorrow), directing them to bring with them the lists of all their officials in grade-18 and above. The court will then select one member each from the two institutions to become part of a six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that will probe offshore properties of the Sharif family.

The three-judge special bench – formed to implement the Supreme Court’s April 20 judgment in the Panamagate case – issued the directives on Wednesday during its first hearing.

This special bench – constituted by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar – comprises Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh and Justice Ijazul Ahsen.

The same judges had signed off on the majority judgment and referred the Panamagate matter to a six-member JIT – with representatives from different institutions – to investigate the alleged financial corruption of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his two sons.

The Supreme Court registrar office had then sent letters to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the SBP, the SECP, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Military Intelligence (MI) asking each of them to recommend three names – of whom one would be picked to represent the respective department in the JIT.

Each agency had sent three names to the Supreme Court registrar by April 26. The ISI and the MI had both proposed the names of brigadier-rank officers to represent them. Later, the registrar office started examining the credentials of the 18 officials recommended by the six departments.



On Wednesday, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf Ali appeared before the Supreme Court’s special bench. At the outset of the hearing, the bench opened a sealed envelope and found nominations from all the institutions.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan said they wanted that everything must be open and transparent. He said the officials, who would be part of the JIT, should be above-board. “We want people with diamond like integrity,” Justice Khan said.

Justice Azmat Saeed Sheikh said the court will have to ensure that entire investigation is made in an impartial and transparent manner”.

“Tell them to comply with the court’s order and come with the list of all officers of grade-18 and above and then the court will approve the names form the list,” Justice Sheikh said, addressing the AGP.

 



He said nobody should ‘play game’ with them, adding that they will not become hostage to anybody. “Dragging feet will have consequences, we won’t tolerate any delay,” he added.

Justice Ijazul Ahsen noted that the court will not accept any excuse or delay in the proceedings.

When the bench said the officials in the JIT must be of high integrity, the AGP added that competence of nominee should also be taken into consideration.

The AGP assured the court that he will contact the SBP’s acting governor “or whosoever may be the head” to do the needful.  A senior government official told The Express Tribune that the FIA and the NAB have already sent additional names of senior officials to the Supreme Court.

“What we do, we direct the chairman SECP and the governor SBP to appear in-person before us on May 5 and provide the lists of all the officers of grade-18 and above,” the bench later said in its short order.