Accountability court: Sharifs shall appear on 19th, Dar a day later

NAB has filed three references against five Sharif family members, one against finance minister

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday summoned five members of the Sharif family on September 19 and the incumbent finance minister on September 20 in four references filed against them.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir issued summons to deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar for September 19 in three references filed against them by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The court also summoned Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on September 20 for allegedly possessing assets beyond his known sources of income in one reference filed against him in line with the Supreme Court’s April 28 judgment.

In the reference, the NAB said it had yet to determine the role of the National Bank of Pakistan’s president and others over their alleged involvement in “aiding and abetting” the finance minister to make a 91-time increase in his assets within a short span of time.

A day after the trial in corruption cases against the ruling family and Dar officially began, the court issued summons to all the accused in all four references.

The former premier and his sons have been named in three references – Avenfield Flats, Flagship Investment Limited and 15 other companies as well as Al-Azizia Company Limited and Hill Metals Establishment – while Maryam and Safdar have only been named in the Avenfield reference.



In its July 28 judgment, the apex court had directed the top graft buster to file references against the five Sharif family members within six weeks.

The NAB filed one reference against Sharif, Hussain, Hassan, Maryam and Safdar relating to the Avenfield Flats comprising Flat No 16 and 16-A, 17 and 17-A at Avenfield House in Park Lane area of London.

Al-Azizia Steel Company, Hill Metal Company, Flagship Investment Ltd and other companies references are only against the three-time former PM and his sons. Dar is facing only one reference over possession of assets beyond known sources of income.

Meanwhile, the court continued to keep journalists at bay. When three journalists, including this correspondent, entered the courtroom on Thursday, the judge asked them to wait outside the courtroom, saying an official of the court would brief them about the day’s proceeding.

Later, the court official provided information to journalists, but also conveyed that there was no bar on journalists to sit inside the courtroom.

The references read that the accused persons were given ample opportunities to explain and provide evidence regarding the accumulation of these assets but “they did not join investigation before NAB on the pretext of a review petition already filed before the Supreme Court against the July 28 verdict”.



In addition, the references said, the request for Mutual Legal Assistance has been forwarded by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) and the response is till awaited which would be placed before this court when received from foreign jurisdiction.

“So under this scenario, this reference may be treated as interim reference,” NAB stated. So far, all four references are termed “interim” and NAB can file supplementary references later on.

According to JIT’s final investigation report and proceedings at NAB, the references read, “it is established that the accused persons failed to justify sources of funds for establishment/ possession of assets and consequently pecuniary proceeds disburse[d] among each other.”