Accountability court to resume hearing Al-Azizia reference today

Nawaz has answered 120 out of 150 questions so far

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court seized with the Al-Azizia reference will resume hearing today (Monday).

Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif will record his testimony under Section 342 of the criminal procedure code before Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik.

Sharif had so far answered 120 out of a total of 151 questions put to him during the recording of his testimony. He will likely to submit his reply to the remaining questions on Monday.

In his testimonies, the deposed prime minister had accused the joint investigation team (JIT) constituted in the Panama Papers case of imposing “extremely strict, unreasonable conditions” for recording the statement of Qatari Prince Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-Thani.

The Qatari prince was the missing link in the money trail of the Sharif family for their London properties and businesses in the UK and Saudi Arabia.

A day earlier, the former premier had testified that he was not a participant in the transactions between the Qatari royal family and the Sharifs.

He submitted the reply in response to a question put to him by the accountability court judge about the correspondence between the Qatari prince and the JIT.

“I had never participated in any transaction with Prince Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani; for that matter, any transaction which is mentioned in the worksheet and related paper,” Sharif said.

“I have no personal knowledge of the correspondence between Wajid Zia and his Excellency Mr Sheikh Hamad bin Jasim bin Jaber Al-Thani, nor am I the subject matter of any of the letters in the said correspondence.”

He claimed that the Qatari prince, at every stage of the investigations, confirmed the money trail and also offered to verify the contents of the transactions between the two families.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will also take up the accountability court’s plea seeking another extension in the revised deadline to wrap up corruption references against the Sharif family today (Monday).