Evidence that ‘alone can send PM packing’

JAFZA confirms Nawaz was heading the board of Capital FZE, according to JIT

ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which submitted a damning report on the offshore assets of the Sharif family on Monday, has come up with some crucial evidence which might be sufficient to send Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif packing.

The six-member probe team has submitted a key document to confirm that Sharif was employed with the Capital FZE as its board chairman from August 6, 2006 to April 20, 2014.



The document – a letter from Shehab Sultan Mesmar of the Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) dated July 4 – has been issued in response to the JIT’s query about Sharif’s ownership in the offshore company.



The JIT stated that Sharif had been chairman of the Board for Capital FZE from August 7, 2006 to April 20, 2014 at a salary of 10,000 dirhams. The salary was revised on February 2, 2007 vide Employment Contract Amendment Form 9 – duly signed by respondent No 1 i.e. the prime minister – filed with JAFZA.

“On the basis of this employment, respondent No 1 was able to procure ‘Iqama’, dated 5-7-2009, and valid up to 4-6-2015 to work and reside in Dubai,” says the JIT report.



The report states that it was successful in collecting evidence directly from the concerned regularity authority, i.e. JAFZA in Dubai. “The evidence provided revealed that Capital FZE was granted a trading license bearing registration No 1561 on October 1, 2001” it adds.



PTI lawyer Chaudhry Faisal Hussain said that the evidence was enough to disqualify Premier Sharif under Article 62 (1)(f) because he had concealed the fact in his nomination paper for the 2013 general elections and his wealth statement. Hussain also cited a judgment, wherein the court had de-seated Iftikhar Ahmad Cheema because he had concealed his wife’s assets in his nomination papers.

Legal experts believe that after the damning JIT report, it is not easy for the prime minister to escape disqualification under Article 62(1) (f) of the Constitution.

However, a senior PML-N leader believes Article 62 (1)(f) cannot be invoked in the mentioned case as Premier Sharif had not given a false statement. He added it was only an omission in filing of nomination papers and the court should give him an opportunity for explanation.

The JIT has also established that the Sharif family businesses flourished during the time Sharif was in power.