Corruption references against Sharif brothers pending in accountability court, ECP told

NAB points out three corruption references against PML-N leaders on which LHC has reserved judgement.

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has provided information to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) about three corruption references against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) leaders that are pending before an accountability court.

An official with knowledge of the matter said that NAB had provided the information to ECP as part of the scrutiny process of candidates.

NAB informed the ECP that the corruption references were against Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif. The authority had on October 8, 2012 informed the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench that the Sharif family were loan defaulters to the tune of Rs4 billion in three corruption references against them.

Further, the Sharifs have been accused of accumulating money and assets beyond their declared means of income.

The case was filed with the Attock NAB Court on March 27, 2000. Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Shamim Akhtar, Sabiha Abbas, Maryam Safdar and Ishaq Dar are the others accused in the case.

Three references 

The NAB had in October, 2012, submitted a report in court on the loan defaults of the Sharif family.

The report states that the total receivables of National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) from the family was Rs2.31 billion, Habib Bank Rs336 million, United Bank Rs343 million, Muslim Commercial Bank Rs456.1 million, First Punjab Modarba Rs202 million, Bank of Punjab Rs95 million, ZTBL Rs60 million, NIB (formerly PICIC) Rs27 million and ICBP Rs8 million.

Sharif’s Counsel Salman Butt at that time had informed the court that the actual value of Ittefaq Foundries was almost double the amount the family owned.

Referring to figures provided to the court by NAB, he said the value of the assets of Ittefaq Foundries was still more than Rs6 billion while its liabilities were not over Rs4 billion.

He said Nawaz Sharif on June 30, 1998, had offered the assets of Ittefaq Foundries to the banks and both the parties even entered into an agreement for changing hands of the assets.

The matter was taken to the LHC to determine the liabilities of the foundries. In July, 1998, the court constituted a six-member committee, headed by a senior NBP official, for evolving a strategy to take over the assets.

However, the counsel added, on October 12, 1999, the PML-N government was dismissed in a coup and the military ruler converted the matter into a corruption reference.

Butt pointed out that despite LHC’s constituted committee, for this purpose, NAB evaluated the value of Ittefaq Foundries, which was not its domain.

Meanwhile, a NAB investigation officer said that the Ittefaq Foundries reference was finalised on February 14, 2000, and the same day the then NAB chairman not only approved the case but also forwarded it to the accountability court.

The counsel for Sharif brothers said that after the 2008 polls the matter was kept in the cold storage for over four years. The counsel rejected the idea of a loan default as the brothers had already handed over their assets, worth more than the due amount.

He added that the LHC has reserved its judgment in the three corruption references against the Sharif family.

Record of 16, 526 candidates returned to ECP

As part of its facilitation to the ECP, the NAB has so far returned records of 16,526 candidates to the ECP after scrutinising them.

A NAB handout said that they had received 19,400 application forms. The remaining 2,874 forms are under process and are expected to be returned by Friday.

The ECP provided inter-departmental linkage to NAB and other relevant departments for online sharing of data to scrutinise the candidates for the elections.

NAB has been asked to provide a list of the convicts, including details of those prospective candidates who have entered plea bargains.

Bank loan default cases referred under section 31-C will also be reported whether in inquiry, investigation, trial or completed through deals or voluntary returns.