Nawaz Sharif landed in fresh trouble on Monday when a panel investigating corruption allegations against the Pakistan Prime Minister and his family in the Panama Papers leak case found "glaring disparities" between their known sources of income and their actual wealth in its final report submitted to the Supreme Court. The investigators have recommended that a case be filed against Sharif in the National Accountability Court.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) submitted its final report following a two-month long investigation. The report said that there was a "significant gap/disparity" between the declared sources of income and wealth accumulated by Sharif, his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.
The JIT was formed by Pakistani Supreme Court on a petition by opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to investigate the Sharif family's offshore assets owned by Sharif's children following revelations regarding the same in the Panama Papers leaks.
According to Dawn, the JIT found "glaring disparities" between the Sharif family's sources of income and its assets. The report said: "Failure on the part of all respondents to produce the required information confirming 'known sources of income' is prima facie tantamount to not being able to justify assets and the means of income."
It suggested that the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's main anti-corruption agency, open a case against Sharif and his three children under the provisions of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance of 1999. The court also said that copies of the JIT's report would be given to Sharif's family as well as the petitioners.
After it received the report of the JIT, the Supreme Court ordered that a criminal case also be opened against Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan chairman Zafar Hijazi for allegedly tampering the records to favour the Pakistan PM's family. The court also ordered that a contempt of court notice be issued to the Jang Group, a leading media house, for publishing a speculative story on the findings of the JIT in The News daily.
The News quoted "sources close to the JIT" as saying that the panel has not found Sharif responsible for any wrongdoing but did link his sons to doubtful financial transactions. However, according to the Dawn, the JIT's report stated that the "financial structure and health of companies in Pakistan" linked to the Sharif family "do not substantiate" their wealth.
The report alleged that there was "irregular movement of huge amounts in shape of loans and gifts" to Sharif's family and Pakistan Based companies from the companies based in Saudi Arabia, UAE and the UK.
The JIT panel interrogated seven members of the Sharif family, including the Pakistan PM. Besides his three children, the panel questioned his daughter Maryam's husband Muhammad Safdar Awan, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who is related to the Prime Minister's family through marriage.
