Supreme Court Adjourns Panama Papers Hearing Till Monday

ISLAMABAD, Jan 6 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 06th Jan, 2017 ) : The Supreme Court Friday continued hearing of the Panama papers case for the third consecutive day and adjourned hearing of four identical petitions filed by PTI and others seeking investigation into the Panama Papers till Monday (January 9).

A five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Ijaz Afzal Khan, Justice Gulzar Ahmad and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan heard the case.

Naeem Bukhari, counsel of PTI submitted the recording of an interview of the financial advisor of Sharif family, Haroon Pasha as a proof today, pleading the court to make it a part of its record.

While, Shahid Hamid, Counsel of Maryam Nawaz submitted reply pertaining to her income, assets and tax details of five years in the court. According to statement her income was Rs 226,040 during 2013, Rs 1,259,132 in 2014, Rs 973,243 in 2015 and Rs 489,911 in 2016.

While income from agriculture was Rs 1,163,867. The statement further said her family has five houses in Raiwind. One of these five houses is with her paternal grandmother, another one with parents, the third one is with her late paternal uncle Abbas Sharif and the fourth is with another paternal uncle Shahbaz Sharif while in the fifth house she resides.

Maryam Nawaz, the statement added, filed all the income tax returns. Earlier, when the court started hearing of the case, PTI's Counsel Naeem Bukhari resumed his arguments saying that the London flats bought between 1993 and 1996 were owned by the Prime Minister.

Justice Ijaz Afzal asked Naeem Bukhari if he had any such document which could prove that 2006 trust deed was not genuine. Naeem stated it is responsibility of Maryam Nawaz to prove authenticity of the documents provided by her.

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who was heading the larger bench told the lawyers of Sharif family that they have to establish ownership of Minerva Financial Services Limited. The court, he further stated had the power to summon past records.

The PTI counsels suggested to the court that members of the prime minister's family be summoned to examine whether they stand by the stance they had taken in their statements made on Thursday with regard to four London flats.

However, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed remarked that the members of the PM's family would summoned when their evidence needed to be recorded which was however not under consideration right now.