Graft reference: Prosecution witness shares bank transactions of Sharif, sons

Says former PM transferred $600,000 to his rupee account between March-May 2017

ISLAMABAD: Malik Tayyab, the prosecution witness in Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference, on Wednesday continued recording his statement against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members before an accountability court in Islamabad.

Tayyab, who is associated with Standard Chartered Bank, shared details of the bank accounts and transactions carried out over the years by the deposed premier and his sons – Hasan and Hussain. However, the prosecution witness could not complete his statement again.



The accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir heard the reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in line with the apex court’s July 28 verdict. Defence counsel Khawaja Haris's assistant lawyer Ayesha Hamid represented him in the court.

A day earlier, the court had granted Sharif a week-long exemption from appearing in the court in person as he departed for London to see his ailing wife.  In his absence, the PML-N chief will be represented by Advocate Zaafir Khan.

The witness, Tayyab, told the court that Sharif withdrew $2,200 on February 7, 2017, adding that the PML-N leader transferred $600,000 to his Pakistani currency account between March and May 2017. Tayyab also provided details of Sharif’s and his sons' accounts in Euro and UK pounds.

He said Hussain transferred £25,000 to Sharif's account in December 2010. In 2015, Sharif transferred £25,000 to his Pakistani currency account. He said Sharif transferred £10 to his Pakistani currency account twice in 2016, at which Zaafir Khan raised an objection over the documents presented in court.

"You have an objection over a cheque of £10?" Judge Bashir remarked in a lighter vein.  Continuing with his statement about the Sharifs' accounts in Euro, Tayyab told the court that Hussain had transferred €1.1 million to Nawaz's account in 2010 and €40,000 in 2012.

Nawaz Sharif issued five cheques – of a total €900,000 – and transferred the amount to his Pakistani currency account on September 23, 2010. According to Tayyab, Sharif transferred €210,000 in April 2012 and €190,000 in November 2015 to his Pakistani currency account.

The court also heard NAB's plea to include documents provided by Noreen Shahzad — who replaced Tayyab as branch manager — in the witness record. Hamid objected to the request, saying that since Shahzad's name was not on witness list, documents provided by her cannot be counted as evidence.

"In what capacity has Noreen Shahzad submitted documents to the court?" Hamid asked, adding that Shahzad was not able to present an authority letter from her employer. She also said the defence team was not informed of Shahzad's involvement in the case.

Hamid requested the court to delay the next hearing until it takes a decision regarding Shahzad's inclusion in the case. This request was granted. However, Hamid's objection will be debated in the court on Thursday. Once the court reaches a decision, it will resume recording of Tayyab's statement.

On Tuesday, Tayyab provided details of the cheques issued to Maryam Nawaz and others from Sharif’s bank account.  Tayyab had told the court that on June 13, 2015, a cheque worth Rs12 million was issued to Maryam. Another cheque worth Rs28.8m was issued to her on November 15. On August 14, 2016, Nawaz issued another cheque worth Rs19.5m to his daughter, the witness had told the court.



On Monday, the court also recorded statements from NAB Lahore officials Umer Daraz and Mukhtar, who were among those who delivered the NAB summons to Sharif and his family members.

Maryam had made a request for exemption from appearance before the court but it was rejected. The court had noted that she had already received such an exemption earlier from Nov 15 to Dec 15, which was still intact.

Nawaz will remain in London for five days. His wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, has reportedly been undergoing medical treatment in the British capital for some time now.