NAB team in London to probe Sharif family’s Avenfield properties

LONDON: A two-member team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is in the United Kingdom to collect more evidence pertaining to the Avenfield apartments case against the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, according to reports.

The NAB team consists of Deputy Director Sultan Nazeer, case officer in the Avenfield Reference, and Imran Dogar who is investigation officer in the said reference.

According to reports, the UK home office had readily accepted NAB’s request for legal assistance in the case of Hussain Nawaz, however, request for such assistance in the case of Hassan Nawaz— as he is a British national— was only accepted after several requests made by the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) London based lawyers, in this regard.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) of the UK and the Pakistani High Commission in the UK are working together with the NAB officials to formalise how the investigation will be carried out.

The NAB team will meet officials of Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Home Office and other officials concerned in London, added the officials. They will collect evidence regarding the properties and meet with Nawaz Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz to get their official statements on the subject. They will also record the statement of one Ashley who reportedly acquired the Sharifs’ property record in the UK. The team is also expected to meet officials of Pakistan Embassy in the UK.

Both Hussain and Hassan Nawaz have been declared public offenders for not appearing before the trial court in the Avenfield case.

Maryam Nawaz is the beneficial owner of the said properties, according to the official papers sent by the British authorities to the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which was founded by the Supreme Court to investigate the Panama Papers scandal.

A reference was filed by NAB before the Islamabad Accountability Court against the disqualified prime minister, his daughter Maryam and sons Hassan and Hussain regarding the UK Avenfield properties, according to the directions of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers verdict.