JIT to quiz Hussain Nawaz a fifth time today

Hassan makes second appearance; Kirmani says leaked photo, ‘ambulance scandal’ part of campaign to slander Sharifs

ISLAMABAD: The prime minister’s elder son Hussain Nawaz will appear on Friday (today) for the fifth time before the Joint Investigation Team tasked to probe Sharif family’s offshore assets in line with the apex court’s April 20 verdict in the Panama Papers case.

On Thursday, the PM’s younger son Hassan testified before the JIT for the second time. Hassan had first appeared before the probe team on June 2. As in the case of his first appearance, Hassan did not talk to the media this time also.



Hussain first appeared before the JIT on May 28. He was questioned for almost 90 minutes but according to the contents of a summons issued to him the following day he did not answer any of the questions posed by the probe team. He sought more time to record his statement.

On May 30, he testified before the JIT for almost three hours and presented documentary evidence. On June 1, he appeared for the third time and was questioned for almost six hours and 25 minutes. On his fourth appearance on Saturday he spent four hours and 30 minutes with the probe team.



With the JIT already inquiring into the circumstances that led to leaking of Hussain’s photograph to social media, the PML-N on Thursday demanded of the apex court to order investigation into calling an ambulance to Federal Judicial Academy, the JIT’s Secretariat, on May 30. The ambulance was called in when Hussain was being interrogated inside the JIT’s Secretariat for the first time.

The PM’s Special Assistant Dr Asif Kirmani, who accompanied Hassan at the time of his arrival, told reporters on Thursday that the ambulance was called without any reason and consequently rumours swirled around about drop in Hussain’s sugar level due to rigorous investigations.

Terming it the ‘ambulance scandal’ Kirmani said due to those rumours Hussain’s family remained worried until Hussain came out from the academy after testifying for hours. “Ambulance was called in unnecessarily in continuation of a campaign for Sharifs’ character assassination,” he added.

He said the administrative control of the Federal Judicial Academy rests with the JIT. He also claimed that Hussain’s leaked photo was taken not in the academy’s waiting room but inside the investigation room.



“However, despite reservations about the conduct of the JIT, Sharif family will continue to offer themselves for investigations as per directions of the apex court,” he added.

Minister for Capital Administration Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said political opponents were propagating that the PML-N was raising objections to the JIT without any solid reason.  “The PML-N hopes that the Supreme Court will address our just reservations to this effect,” he added.