- Zia to approach SC for obtaining volume 10 that had been earlier sealed on apex court’s order
- Nawaz Sharif, Maryam exempted from personal experience at hearing for one day
ISLAMABAD: The accountability court hearing the Avenfield properties reference against former premier Nawaz Sharif and his family directed Wajid Zia, who headed the Panama case joint investigation team (JIT) which probed the Sharif family assets last year, to approach the Supreme Court for obtaining the JIT report’s Volume 10.
The court issued these directives after Nawaz Sharif’s defence counsel Khawaja Harris requested the court to direct Wajid Zia to unseal volume 10 of the JIT report.
The volume, a part of the JIT report submitted by Zia’s team, was sealed on the orders of the Supreme Court earlier.
As the court resumed hearing the Avenfield flats reference, Khawaja Harris informed Judge Mohammad Bashir the former premier’s flight was not allowed to take off from Lahore owing to the weather, requesting the court to approve exemption plea of his client.
The judge approved the request but directed Nawaz’s son-in-law MNA Capt (r) Safdar to remain in court.
During the hearing, Zia continued being cross-examined by Harris.
“Would you file an application to the SC requesting to unseal volume 10?” Harris questioned. “Yes, I would,” Zia responded. At this, Harris requested the court to direct the JIT head to file an application so that volume ten of the JIT report can be presented in court.
The hearing resumed with Harris questioning Zia on Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAs) sent by the JIT to Central Authority, International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Justice, Dubai.
“Seven MLAs were sent to the department, four were sent together and the rest were sent on different dates,” Zia informed the court during Harris’ cross-questioning.
The defence then probed the JIT head on whether the MLAs were sent to anyone else besides the ministry of justice, to which Zia replied in the negative. Upon this, Harris stated, “What if I told you that you did send MLAs pertaining to Tariq Shafee to someone else?”
At this, Zia said that he would have to confirm that information, when asked when he could, Zia replied saying that the information is sealed in volume ten of the JIT report.
“Do you know that a copy of volume 10 was provided to NAB,” Harris asked. “I don’t know,” Zia responded. Harris then went on to ask Zia, “Who asked to seal volume 10 of the JIT?” Zia replied saying that the JIT had requested the SC to seal it.
All copies of volume 10 are sealed by the apex court or by NAB. “I don’t think that volume 10 was submitted in a sealed condition to SC,” Zia said.
Harris then went on to question whether a written application was sent to the SC to seal the report, “It was a verbal request, and in open court,” Zia responded.
“I recollect that five sets of volume 10 were submitted to the SC, and they ordered it to be sealed. JIT only had office copies of volume 10 which are sealed by the bureau,” Zia further informed the court.
Zia was then directed by the court to bring the said volume from the Supreme Court so the trial court may peruse it.
The hearing was later adjourned until Wednesday, when the cross-examination will continue. Zia is being cross-examined since the last few hearings after having recorded his statement earlier over several weeks.
During the last hearing, the court was informed by Wajid Zia that the probe in the Avenfield reference case was limited to the documents provided to the JIT by the Supreme Court.
“The documents provided by the SC included constitutional petitions, multiple CMAs and the petitions and responses filed against the Sharif family,” Zia had told the court.
Nawaz Sharif’s counsel Khawaja Harris was trying to point towards the fact that the land-rent agreement, professional licenses and the premises where the factory was set up were not investigated.
