Sharif used parliament to protect ‘ill-gotten’ assets: Akbar

Says PM Imran set a fine example by presenting his complete money trail in the court

LAHORE:

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar on Monday observed that the PML-N leadership had once again been exposed before the people as they made “failed attempts to conceal their properties and tried to befool the people by telling oft-repeated lies”.

Addressing a news conference in Lahore, the PM’s aide alleged that former premier Nawaz Sharif used the platform of parliament to protect his “ill-gotten assets”, adding that due to growing public awareness the PML-N supremo could not further “misguide” people through such tactics.

He recalled that after Panama leaks, Sharif addressed the nation and approached the court where he made “contradictory” statements and that the Supreme Court after conducting long proceedings declared him dishonest and ordered his disqualification.

Referring to the PML-N’s stance that Iqama and not corruption was the reason behind Sharif’s disqualification, Akbar remarked that any public office holder could commit money laundering under the umbrella of work permit. 

“As per the NAB’s law, if a person's assets do not match his source of income, the person can be considered corrupt or his assets are ill-gotten,” he said.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan has set a fine example by presenting his complete money trail in the court due to which the court declared him honest,” he added.

He said that the PML-N leadership including Maryam Nawaz once again resorted to propaganda after it was said that the UK-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet had exonerated Sharifs in the Avenfield apartments case, which was not true.

He said that Broadsheet, which was hired by the then NAB for tracing the assets of Pakistanis, had got a Charging Order Act on Avenfield apartments from a court so that the property could not be disposed of until the asset recovery firm received its payments, adding that later the company withdrew its charging order after being paid for its loans.

He said that the then NAB DG and attorney general were answerable for the "agreement" which they made with Broadsheet.

The adviser noted that the PML-N leaders termed the accountability process against them “political victimisation” but the nation was aware of the “lies and corruption” of the party how they “plundered” the national exchequer.

Akbar said former defence minister Khawaja Asif had claimed that he was employed in a company in Dubai and was drawing salary of Rs140 million in cash whereas actually the money was being transferred in a bank account.

He said that efforts were being made to bring Nawaz Sharif back to the country.

With input from APP