Maryam beneficial owner of Avenfield properties: JIT report

The report of Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has found Maryam Safdar, the reported heir to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as beneficial owner of Avenfield Properties as well as offshore companies of Nescoll & Nielsen.

The report has also charged Maryam Safdar for submitting fake/falsified documents to the JIT which is a criminal offence.

“Maryam Safdar has submitted fake/falsified documents to the JIT which is a criminal offence. These documents are decoys to manipulate facts and camouflage truth,” says the conclusion in the findings of the JIT report.

“The report prepared by the UK-based forensic handwriting and document examiner proves beyond any doubt that presented documents by respondents in the Supreme Court and the documents presented to the JIT by Maryam Safdar were falsified to mislead the honourable court to believe that they were signed in 2006. Whereas they could not have been typed in that font in that year as the font was not yet introduced,” the report said.

Moreover, the report said that Hussain Nawaz and Capt (Retd) Safdar as well as Maryam Safdar have also signed these falsified and misleading documents.

“Hassan Nawaz Sharif, having submitted these documents as respondent number 8, is also prima facie involved in manipulating and misleading the honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan,” the report said.

About the ownership of Avenfield properties by Maryam Safdar, the JIT report said two key documents helped the JIT to draw a conclusion about not only the ownership of the London apartments but also about nearly all the questions raised by the Apex Court in this regard.

A Reference was made to JIT’s MLA, Errol George (Director, Financial Investigation Agency, BVI) who has certified/verified his correspondence with J. Nizbeth Maduro (Money Laundering Reporting Officer) Mossack Fonseca & Co. (BVI) during June 2012 as true copies.

In this letter, addressed to the JIT, Errol George has confirmed that a letter dated June 12, 2012 was issued by the financial investigation agency of the British Virgin Islands, signed by Errol George, director, raising various queries about Nescoll & Nielsen Limited.

The report by the forensic handwriting & document examiner further corroborates and substantiates that the certified letters of Errol George indicate that Maryam Safdar was beneficial owner of Nielsen & Nescoll companies.

The verified letter indicates that J Nizbeth Maduro had sent two letters on June 22, 2012, and has provided following findings:

(a)    The beneficial owner of the companies, Nielsen & Nescoll Limited, is Maryam Safdar whose address is Saroor Palace, Jeddah for which passport copy is enclosed for ease of reference.

(b)   There are no details of any other beneficiaries or trustees of the company other than Maryam Safdar.

Hence, the letter says, the authenticated documents render incorrect, the defence of Maryam Safdar (Respondent No 6) and Hussain Nawaz Sharif (Respondent no.7) taken before the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the JIT with respect to the beneficial ownership of the apartments and the trust deed submitted as under.

The accepted letter establishes link of Maryam Safdar with Minerva Services since December 2005. Moreover, the contention of Maryam Safdar of being Trustee of Avenfield properties and that being the reason for her linkage with Minerva services and the Samba letter is rendered totally  incorrect by the authenticated letters of Errol George that plainly prove that she was a beneficial owner of these properties which were managed by Minerva Services.