Qatari prince shows ‘inability’ to testify, but owns both letters

Supreme Court will get second fortnightly report from JIT tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The joint investigation team probing the offshore assets of the Sharif family will submit its second fortnightly report to the Supreme Court tomorrow [Wednesday] whereby the court will be informed that Qatari royal Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani has expressed his inability to appear in person to record his statement before the probe team.

The prince has cited his ‘hectic schedule’ and rather preferred to verify in writing the content of the two letters produced as evidence by the Sharif family during the Panamagate case hearing in the top court.

In its verdict, the Supreme Court had bound the JIT to submit fortnightly reports on the progress made over investigations into the Sharif family’s offshore assets.



The first report was submitted by the JIT on May 22.

Reliable sources confirmed to The Express Tribune on Monday that the JIT had received a reply from the Qatari prince last week in response to a letter delivered to him through diplomatic channels.

Hamad Bin Jassim, through his reply, confirmed each and every word of the letters produced by the Sharif family in support of the money trail they submitted to the apex court.

During the last two weeks, the focus of the JIT was on the Hudabiya Sugar Mills case and most of the witnesses who recorded their statements during this period were related to the said case.



Through its second progress report, the JIT will inform the court that it recorded statements of the prime minister’s sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, his business associate Javed Kayani and National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmad.

The JIT had recently completed the first round of investigations from the PM’s elder son Hussain Nawaz, a key member of the Sharif family, grilling him for over 15 hours during his four appearances before the probe team during last six days.

Hussain first appeared before the JIT on May 28, and was questioned for almost 90 minutes. But according to the contents of the summons issued to him the same day, he did not answer any of the questions posed by the probe team.



Appearing on May 30 for a second, Husain testified before the JIT for almost three hours and presented documentary evidences. On his third appearance, on June 1, the PM’s elder son was questioned by the JIT for almost six hours and 25 minutes. On his fourth appearance on Saturday last, he spent four hours and 30 minutes will the probe team.

And on June 2, PM’s younger son Hasan Nawaz and PM’s former business associate Javed Kayani testified before the probe team.

The JIT has been working on weekends too in a bid to meet the two-month deadline given by the apex court.

During the last hearing of the case, the Supreme Court’s special bench on implementation of the Panamagate verdict has categorically stated that the JIT should conclude its investigations within 60 days, saying that no additional time would be granted.



While reacting to the Qatari prince’s inability to testify before the JIT, PTI Chairman Imran Khan tweeted on Monday, “From the media reports it appears Qatari Prince [is] unwilling to appear before JIT. If this is correct, Sharifs have lost their only ‘money trail’.”

He added: “Qatari Prince was the only straw Sharifs had to clutch on to. Without Qatari prince Sharifs have no money trail on how money went abroad and how flats were purchased. Only ‘trail’ is corruption money”.