- Trail of 6.5 per cent of the funds has not been proved
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, while hearing a petition on Tuesday seeking the disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for non-disclosure of assets, ownership of offshore companies and party foreign funding, remarked that the documents submitted to the court must have been verified and free from any doubt.
The petition, filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Hanif Abbasi, was heard by the Supreme Court’s three-member bench, headed by the chief justice and including Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab.
At the beginning of the hearing, the reason for the absence of Imran counsel Naeem Bukhari was asked by the bench, to which PTI lawyer Anwar Mansoor replied that Bukhari was submitting documents at the time.
Abbasi’s counsel, during the hearing, raised objections over the documents submitted by the PTI, saying that the documents were suspicious, adding that the signatures on the two letters submitted also do not match.
Justice Nisar apprised the counsel that the bench had observed the same during the last hearing. “There are other mistakes along with the tax number and signature,” he remarked.
Even if the Bani Gala estate is benami [not in actual owner’s name], the actual owner was Jemima, Imran’s ex-wife, remarked the chief justice, adding that the trail of only 6.5 per cent of the funds has not been proved.
“It was said that Niazi Services Limited was formed to avoid the taxes on the London flats and Imran’s personal funds were also deposited in the Niazi Services Limited’s account,” he remarked further.
The PTI chief failed to provide details of the accounts from 2003 onwards, and, according to the petitioner, the 99,000 pounds present in the account should have been declared as well, observed the court.
Bukhari argued before the court that the amount was an asset of Niazi Services Limited, to which the chief justice remarked that evidence needs to be provided that the funds were used in legal action.
During last week’s hearing, the apex court had appeared dissatisfied with Bukhari’s arguments. The PTI counsel had said that an email had been sent to Imran’s former wife Jemima Khan, who had confirmed receiving 75,000 pounds and assured that she would send the bank details after finding them.
To this, the bench had said that the documents did not prove that Imran Khan had brought money back from London.
The petition, filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi, is being heard by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and includes Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
The petition seeks disqualification of PTI chief Imran Khan and Secretary General Jahangir Tareen for non-disclosure of assets, ownership of offshore companies and for the party being a foreign-funded party.
