A larger bench led by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa has resumed the hearing of Panama Leaks on Tuesday (today).
Other bench members are Justice Ejaz Afzal, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s lead counsel Naeem Bukhari will continue with his arguments.
In the last hearing, Naeem Bukhari presented evidence over beneficial ownership of the London Flats.
In response, the court reminded Bokhari that the Panamagate case is restricted to the London flats.
Justice Ejaz directed PTI counsel to satisfy the court that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should have appealed over Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
“The sanctity of the court needs to be maintained at all costs, do not take us out of our parameters,” he warned.
“We will only hear the case within the limits of Article 184/3,” a Justice Ejaz said. Article 184 pertains to the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, the court reminded Bukhari that a ruling cannot be based on newspaper clippings submitted as ‘evidence’, to which the PTI counsel responded saying that the court has ruled on the basis of newspaper clippings in the past.
Justice Azmat Saeed asked Bukhari if any other court in the world has given a ruling based on the Panama Papers to which the PTI’s lead counsel responded saying that the SC should take the first step and set an example.
Talking to media outside SC, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said that a report on Ishaq Dar’s money laundering prepared by Rehman Malik was discussed in the court.
He said, “Transactions worth millions of dollars were carried out via three fake accounts in Pakistan and three in London.”
Bukhari also told the SC that Hassan Nawaz established a company in the UK in the year 2000. To this, the bench raised questions regarding how the premier’s son established a company in 2000 as he was studying till 1999.
Hassan Nawaz in an interview in 1999 had stated that he was a student with no source of income and that rent of the London flats was coming from Pakistan. On the other hand, Hussain, his brother in a recent interview in 2016 said that Hassan had been doing business for last 21 years.
Further, PM Nawaz earlier stated both his sons started business after the sale of their Jeddah factory in 2005. PM Nawaz has said the London properties had been purchased with the money earned from the sale of a factory in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, set up by his deceased father, Mian Muhammad Sharif.
Earlier, SC had directed Sharif family to explain the contradiction in statements to defend itself in Panama Papers case.
Justice Khosa asked, “Is there any record of Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif’s statement regarding starting a business in 2005?”.
He further said that no one will escape from the legal action except Siraj-ul-Haq if court starts disqualifying people on interviews and statements.
Justice Khosa said that Panama Leaks case is of honesty, not flats.
Separately, Jamaat-e-Islami filed a petition in Supreme Court seeking Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s appearance in the apex court to clear his position regarding his family’s alleged offshore assets.
In today’s proceeding, Jamaat-e-Islami council Tauseef Asif Advocate filed a petition stating that all fingers are being pointed at the PM and his family; hence he is the only person who can tell the truth and justify his position.
“The PM addressed the Parliament in May 2016 and contrary to this speech, he produced Qatar royal family member’s letter in the court. In the court arguments so far, only the PM is in the focus. He is the only person who can tell the truth about assets and transactions; therefore the court must summon him,” the application said.