Sharifs forged documents to make money trail, JIT head tells court

–Wajid Zia says UAE authorities could not find any record of AED12m transaction from sale of Gulf Steel Mills

–Says amount procured from Gulf Steel never reached Jeddah, Qatar and Britain, all documents submitted for Avenfield apartments, including funds for all the other business were forged

ISLAMABAD: Key witness of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB, Wajid Zia on Monday told the accountability court hearing the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference that all the documents submitted by the Sharif family for the Avenfield apartments reference, including documents of funds for all other businesses, were forged.

Judge Muhammad Bashir resumed the hearing of the reference on Monday. The former premier and his lawyer were present in the court.

Zia, the head of the Panama Papers joint investigation team, informed the court that the Sharif siblings — Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz and Maryam Nawaz — submitted forged documents during the interrogation and added that the amount obtained from the Gulf Steel Mill was never sent to Jeddah, Qatar or Britain.

While recording his statement, Zia said that Hussain Nawaz, in his statement to the JIT, stated that the machinery of Gulf Steel Mills in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was shifted to Jeddah in 50-60 trucks and that the same machinery was installed in Al-Azizia Steel mills. The JIT had written a letter to the concerned UAE authorities to confirm the Sharif family’s claims pertaining to the selling of the Gulf Steel Mill, he said, adding that UAE termed the selling of 25 per cent of Gulf Steel Mills shares erroneous.

Moreover, no record of AED12 million transaction with the selling of the mill could be found and no record of the 1980 agreement notarization could also be found either. Even the Central Bank of Dubai has no record of a payment of AED13 million by Ahli Steel to Tariq Shafi. The UAE informed that during 2001 and 2002, no scrap machinery through trucks was sent of Ahli Steel from Dubai to Jeddah, the JIT head further said.

Zia further stated that Tariq Shafiq, Nawaz’s cousin, took more loans by opening a new bank account in 1986-87. The opening of a new bank account in 1986 shows that all the dues are settled. UAE has issued written punishment orders for Shafiq, as he is a defaulter.

Zia informed the court that the JIT, in light of the documents, reached the conclusion that the amount procured from Gulf Steel never reached Jeddah, Qatar and Britain. All the documents submitted for the Avenfield apartments, including funds for all the other business are forged.

Moreover, Hussain’s claim of Ali Steel Mills scrap details also turned out to be false. He gave a wrong statement pertaining to the carrying away of the machinery, said Zia.

Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Harris objected to the documents being made part of the court’s record by arguing that Maryam was not nominated in the reference and both sons of his client were not present either, therefore, their statements could not be put on record.

Meanwhile, Noreen Shahzadi, manager of a private bank, submitted statement of an account operated by Nawaz along with cheques signed by the deposed PM.