NAB’s new witness to present more evidence in Avenfield reference

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is all set to produce a new witness in the Avenfield properties reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.

According to details, NAB Operations Director General Zahir Shah will be the new witness so that the new documents that he has acquired from the British government could be shown before the court.

The NAB investigation officer and the DG operations will be the last two persons to record their statements regarding the case.

The next hearing of the case is on April 23.

According to the documents acquired by Shah, the Sharif family’s London apartments were transferred to the possession of offshore companies Nielson and Nescoll in 1993-1995, and not in 2005-2006.

Nawaz Sharif, in his previous statements, has said that the Avenfield properties were transferred in the name of the companies in 2005-2006 and that they belonged to his children.

Nawaz’s children Hussain and Hasan were young in 1993-95 and did not have any source of income. Therefore, they cannot be considered owners of the properties and thus the former premier was their real owner, the documents state.

The Avenfield properties reference is among three cases filed against Nawaz and his family by NAB in 2017 on the Supreme Court’s directives.