Pakistan Today

Panamgate hearing continues amidst growing confusion

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor General Waqas Qadir Dar on Tuesday submitted the minutes of the meeting in which it was decided that no appeal would be filed in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills Case.

“NAB did not file the appeal as there was a lack of unanimity amongst the judges,’ he told the court. Justice Gulzar asked the NAB official the number of cases in which the NAB had not filed appeals, to which Dar replied such cases were countless.

Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan remarked that the NAB had appealed many cases where there was unanimous decision by Judges. ‘We’ll consider this aspect when it is NAB’s turn,’ said Justice Khosa as NAB’s Prosecutor General left the dais for Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Hassan and Hussain Nawaz.

Continuing his arguments on the third day, Raja reiterated the stance that 12 million dollars were obtained from selling a factory in the Gulf. Upon being asked who had paid the bank’s dues by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Raja said that they may have been paid by the profits made off the factory. He added that the loan of 21 million Dirhams was returned after 75 percent shares of the factory were sold.

When the bench delved deeper into the money trail and asked whether Tariq Shafi was aware of the 12 million Dirhams that were transferred, Raja replied that the court may ask Shafi to appear in person and answer for himself.

Since the start of the Panamagate case hearings from 4th December, 2016, the bench made the most remarks on Tuesday.  Raja told the bench that although the two brothers were living in the London flats since 1993, they didn’t own them before 2006 and were living as guests. “Later on, my clients were given those flats as part of a business deal with the Qatari royal family,” Salman Akram Raja told the bench.

Reaching the end of the hearing, Justice Khosa remarked that when the bench had been told by the prime minister to ask his children. “Maryam Nawaz claims to only be a trustee, and now you too are saying that you have nothing to show,” Justice Khosa added.

Justice Khosa also referred to his previous remark to the prime minister’s counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan, that many pages of the prime minister’s life are missing, which need to be seen.

Justice Azmat Saeed Khosa admitted to hospital

Sources revealed that after the hearing Justice Azmat Saeed was admitted to the Rawalpindi Institute of Cardiology following complaints of chest pains.

It has also been reported that Justice Azmat Saeed underwent angiography in the hospital while stents are also being placed inside his body.

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