JIT submits third progress report to Supreme Court

• SC special bench orders JIT to submit its final report by July 10

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court to investigate the Panama Papers issue on Thursday submitted its third progress report to the three-member special bench implementing the court’s verdict on the matter.

The bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the case. On a question as to whether the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had provided the JIT the information it had requested, the court was apprised that the SECP had provided some documents and the FBR had provided nothing.

Justice Azmat remarked that such behaviour was not acceptable and the departments should cooperate with the JIT on the SC’s orders. He also asked if there were any detail about where the records were kept. “Are they lost or stolen?” he questioned. The Attorney General said a list of required records should be provided to him and the government would ensure that the JIT was given access to them.

The bench instructed the JIT to provide a list of all records required from the FBR and reiterated that the JIT should complete its investigation in the given time and submit its final report by July 10. The court also discussed the matter of the JIT photo leak, observing that Hussain Nawaz had moved the court to form a judicial commission.

The court directed the Attorney General to find out if the government had any reservations regarding disclosing the name of the person responsible for the photo leak. The JIT already said in its report to the Supreme Court that it had identified the culprit behind the leaked photo of Hussain Nawaz, the elder son of the prime minister, immediately after becoming aware of circulation of the picture on social media.

“Immediately upon becoming aware, on June 5, of the circulation in the social media for the said image of the applicant, the JIT had initiated a comprehensive probe and within 24 hours of the same had not only identified the culprit but also submitted its report thereon to the honourable bench,” the JIT report read.

“The individual was immediately removed from the assigned duties and reverted to his parent department. The department has confirmed that the departmental inquiry has been completed and appropriate disciplinary action was taken against the individual,” it said, without naming the individual or the department he was associated with.

INP added that a plea seeking replacement of FIA Additional Director General Wajid Zia as head of the JIT was submitted in the Supreme Court. According to the petition, the plaintiff said that Wajid Zia didn’t go to Qatar to record prince’s statement in Panama Papers case despite travel allowances. He claimed that JIT chief has no interest in accountability.