Sharif indicted in third graft case

NAB directed to present evidence and witnesses in Flagship Investment reference from Oct 26

ISLAMABAD: A day after deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif was indicted, along with his daughter and son-in-law, in Avenfield Apartments reference, the accountability court on Friday framed charges against him and his sons in another graft case related to his family’s Flagship Investment Limited and 15 other offshore companies.

Islamabad’s Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir indicted the ousted prime minister, who was represented by his pleader, Zaafir Khan. Sharif is currently in London where his wife Kulsoom Nawaz is undergoing treatment for cancer.

On Thursday, the former premier was also indicted in the Al-Azizia Company Limited & Hill Metals Establishment references. Sharif family has pleaded not guilty in all three references and opted for trial.

“A charge is framed to which accused Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif [through his pleader] pleaded not guilty and submissions are also recorded. Other two accused [Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain] are still absconding,” the judge said in his order.



Following the indictment, the court directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to present evidence and witnesses from the next date of hearing, October 26.

On October 26, NAB will produce witnesses against the accused in the Avenfield Flats and Flagship Investment Limited references, and the ones concerning Al-Azizia Company Limited and Hill Metals Establishment.

Previously, the court issued directions for separating trial of Hassan and Hussain after they had failed to appear before the court despite repeated orders. Both of Sharif’s sons have been living abroad for the last two decades.

While separating Hassan’s and Hussain’s trial from others and declaring them as absconders, the court had ordered proceeding to be initiated against them under section 87 [proclamation for person absconding] of the Criminal Procedure Code.

In the Flagship reference, NAB claimed that Sharif and his sons established Flagship Investment Limited and 15 other companies and used these companies “to manage/acquire expensive properties/any movement of funds to hide the real sources of funds.”



These companies include Flagship Investments Limited, Hartstone Properties Limited, Que Holdings Limited, Quint Eaton Place 2 Limited, Quint Saloane Limited [formerly Quint Eaton Place Limited], Quaint Limited, Flagship Securities Limited, Quint Gloucester Place Limited, Quint Paddington Limited [formerly Rivates Estates Limited], Flagship Developments Limited, Alanna Services Limited (BVI), Lankin SA (BVI), Chadron Inc, Ansbacher Inc, Coomber Inc, and Capital FZE (Dubai).

In its July 28 verdict in the Panamagate case, the Supreme Court had directed NAB to prepare and file four references against Sharif, his sons Hasan and Hussain, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on the material collected and referred to by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in its report pertaining to Panama Papers.

The JIT – comprising representatives from Federal Investigation Agency, NAB, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, State Bank of Pakistan, Inter-Services Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau and Military Intelligence – had conducted investigation against the suspects in line with revelations of Panama Papers.



According to the JIT’s final investigation report and proceedings at NAB, the top graft buster later claimed that “it is established that accused persons have failed to justify sources of funds for establishment/possession of above mentioned assets/companies and consequently pecuniary proceeds disbursed amongst each other.”

Earlier, NAB informed the court that responses from foreign jurisdictions to requests for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) forwarded by the JIT were still awaited and that these responses would be placed before the court when received. “The reference may be treated as interim reference,” NAB stated.