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Panama JIT to summon Qatar’s prince, Nawaz Sharif
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ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court to probe the Panama case is all set to summon the Qatari prince and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to proceed with the investigation.

The JIT has drawn up list of questions that will be presented before Nawaz Sharif; however, the final decision to call him will be made in a hearing on May 22.

The JIT prepared the questionnaire keeping in view the statements of Nawaz Sharif’s children and his own speeches at National Assembly.

In its 11th meeting, JIT also made Hudaibia Paper Mill and confessional statement by Ishaq Dar part of the questionnaire.

A preliminary report has been prepared by the investigators that will be submitted to the three-member bench of the supreme court in May 22 hearing.

The JIT has also decided to summon Qatari Prince Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani to to investigate the infamous letter he sent to the top court hearing Panama case.

The JIT interrogated former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Munir Hafeez for over three hours regarding Hudaibia Paper Mills.
 
JUST WAIT TILL THE CHINESE FIND OUT CORRUPTION IN THERE OBOR/CPEC DONE IN PAKISTAN


How much is an errant Chinese official’s life worth? Three million renminbi, or $463,000, according to a statement released on April 18 by Chinese judicial authorities. The legal clarification makes the death penalty applicable to anyone who either embezzles, or accepts bribes of, that sum or more. But in certain “especially serious” instances “with extremely vile impact,” like when officials embezzle disaster-relief funds, stealing half that can be grounds for death by firing squad.

HOPE THEY APPLY THE SAME RULE OF EVERY PAKISTANI OFFICIAL CAUGHT EATING THERE 55 BILLIONS DOLLARS
 
JUST WAIT TILL THE CHINESE FIND OUT CORRUPTION IN THERE OBOR/CPEC DONE IN PAKISTAN


How much is an errant Chinese official’s life worth? Three million renminbi, or $463,000, according to a statement released on April 18 by Chinese judicial authorities. The legal clarification makes the death penalty applicable to anyone who either embezzles, or accepts bribes of, that sum or more. But in certain “especially serious” instances “with extremely vile impact,” like when officials embezzle disaster-relief funds, stealing half that can be grounds for death by firing squad.

HOPE THEY APPLY THE SAME RULE OF EVERY PAKISTANI OFFICIAL CAUGHT EATING THERE 55 BILLIONS DOLLARS

So after outsourcing everything to other countries; should justice be outsourced to Chinese as well - as honestly speaking Judiciary has failed Pakistan almost every time it was looked for justice.

@Farah Sohail - If PTI discredits JIT then it will go for the kill outside court. Then battle will be fought outside court as they are thinking what has happened in last cases. They accepted them and no outcome. Still deciding which route to take - depending on the outcome of first few hearings of JIT.
 
@Farah Sohail - If PTI discredits JIT then it will go for the kill outside court. Then battle will be fought outside court as they are thinking what has happened in last cases. They accepted them and no outcome. Still deciding which route to take - depending on the outcome of first few hearings of JIT.

Yes...since review option is out now, too ..this is the best option now..tht PTI bpycots or rejects JIT and SC proceedings, if its not satisfied with them., after initial JIT report and SC bench behavior. I was only talking abt review, because review would mean , Justice Khosa and Gulzar would be there on the bench too...and PTi would again have a chance to present their arguments in front of them, and it would mean..another round of confrontation between sharif family lawyers, and Justice Khosa and Gulzar, and in the process sharif family will get exposed more..and maybe one more judge could review his decision too.. If not..atleast sharif family would be exposed once again in court too, in presence of two dissenting judges..

However sadly this review option isnt available any more.. So now PTI should simply reject JIT and further proceedings of court, if SC bench again shows open bias against PTI, like it did in previous hearing
 
@PakSword @Guvera @Realistic Change Interesting article from Tariq Khosa... Talks abt panama JIT also ... Must read

Speaking truth to power

TARIQ KHOSAPUBLISHED MAY 16, 2017 03:29AM


THE rule of law can defeat corruption, even when it stretches to the highest office in the land. This is the lesson that every country should remember, especially after one woman made a difference in Guatemala.

Attorney General Thelma Aldana uncovered corrupt networks that were siphoning off huge sums involving every level of government including the tax collection machinery. She was able to identify members of the political and economic elite who were involved in financial scams. The money trail led all the way to president Otto Perez Molina, who was arrested and impeached, and is currently facing trial for fraud and money laundering.

Justice may be blind but when it comes to the politics of where it can be applied, former Gambian justice minister Fatou Bensouda faces a dilemma in presiding over investigations and prosecutions against genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. Pitted against some African tyrants and Russian oligarchs, she’s fighting single-handedly and asking the court to widen its net to consider new cases from Afghanistan, Iraq, Columbia and Ukraine.

The pursuit of justice can have dire consequences. Senator Leila de Lima of the Philippines learnt it the hard way by speaking truth to power. President Rodrigo Duterte is “both terrifyingly brutal and massively popular” as some 7,000 people have been killed in the anti-drug campaign since June 2016. Most politicians have kept their heads down but not the diminutive, strong-willed former chair of the justice committee, Senator Leila de Lima. She ended up in jail last February. Despite her incarceration she continues to speak out against extra-judicial killings in her country.

The political will to strengthen the FIA is lacking.
In China, a banker is making headlines as the ‘great enforcer’, launching relentless campaigns against corruption as the head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Wang Qishan leads the drive against graft and illicit financial flows netting thousands of officials and businessmen. He has immense public support as “bribes big and small grease China’s wheels of commerce up and down the line”. He is feared because President Xi Jinping supports the national anti-corruption czar.

“Integrity is a word that doesn’t get used a lot in Washington anymore,” said US Senator John McCain. James Comey is an exception. Integrity and professionalism defined his service, as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to a nation where truth has lately been sacrificed at the altar of political expediency. His principled stance against some key members of the administration in which he served could have cost him his job. He remained undeterred. He “followed the law, spoke the truth and did what he believed was right”. He maintained operational autonomy and independence of his bureau.

However, in a bizarre move, Donald Trump abruptly terminated his services at a time when he was leading criminal investigations into the alleged collusion of the American president’s top aides with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. The firing of James Comey was blatantly political, amounting to the erosion of the independence of law enforcement and a blow to the unwritten constitutional norm of political neutrality.

Our Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is the counterpart of the FBI. The FIA was established in 1974 to combat corruption and investigate white-collar crime, including money laundering. While the FBI director’s tenure is 10 years, the president can ask Congress to extend the period. President Obama had to approach Congress to get a two-year extension for Robert Mueller’s tenure.

The tenure of the DG FIA is fixed at three years. However, successive governments have flouted the law, causing irreparable damage to the autonomy and independence of this premier crime- and corruption-fighting agency. The political will to strengthen this federal watchdog is lacking and it is by design that FIA heads are posted and transferred at whim.

As DG FIA in 2009, I was faced with an intriguing tug-of-war between the federal government and the Supreme Court. The latter had tasked the agency with probing allegations of massive corruption and pilferage in Pakistan Steel Mills. A team constituted by the director general was required to submit a weekly progress report to the court. However, the then interior minister chose to issue written directions to the agency suggesting a certain mode of investigation as well as including certain officials of his choice from different departments as part of the joint investigation team (JIT) to carry out the probe in a matter entrusted by the apex court.

With great respect and utmost humility, I was constrained to write back to the minister that his directions amounted to interference in the agency’s investigative functions and that the probe team would finalise the process in accordance with the law under my command. No executive or judicial authority could interfere in the legal mandate of the investigation agency. While the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice to the interior minister, it nevertheless chose to look the other way when the director general was soon removed without any reason being assigned, in violation of the law that stipulates a three-year tenure for the FIA head.

In the Panama case, a majority of three Supreme Court judges opted to constitute a joint investigation team directly under their special implementation bench. This JIT is not like the joint interrogation team which is usually notified under the Anti-Terrorism Act,1997, by the interior ministry or home departments to question those suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism, sabotage or anti-state activities. This one is more like a judicial commission directly reporting and working under the apex court.

I would not like to speculate or question the wisdom of the inclusion of representatives of the ISI and MI. However, it appears strange that representatives of the Intelligence Bureau and Federal Board of Revenue have not been included in the team. The move has similarities with the initiative of the Supreme Court of India about a decade back when it took the Central Bureau of Investigation under its wing to supervise investigations against some serving ministers.

I hope the truth will be revealed, no matter who is involved, and justice pursued fairly. Public faith in the integrity of the highest executive office should take priority over all other considerations.

The writer is former DG FIA.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2017
 
@PakSword @Guvera @Realistic Change Interesting article from Tariq Khosa... Talks abt panama JIT also ... Must read

Speaking truth to power

TARIQ KHOSAPUBLISHED MAY 16, 2017 03:29AM


THE rule of law can defeat corruption, even when it stretches to the highest office in the land. This is the lesson that every country should remember, especially after one woman made a difference in Guatemala.

Attorney General Thelma Aldana uncovered corrupt networks that were siphoning off huge sums involving every level of government including the tax collection machinery. She was able to identify members of the political and economic elite who were involved in financial scams. The money trail led all the way to president Otto Perez Molina, who was arrested and impeached, and is currently facing trial for fraud and money laundering.

Justice may be blind but when it comes to the politics of where it can be applied, former Gambian justice minister Fatou Bensouda faces a dilemma in presiding over investigations and prosecutions against genocide and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. Pitted against some African tyrants and Russian oligarchs, she’s fighting single-handedly and asking the court to widen its net to consider new cases from Afghanistan, Iraq, Columbia and Ukraine.

The pursuit of justice can have dire consequences. Senator Leila de Lima of the Philippines learnt it the hard way by speaking truth to power. President Rodrigo Duterte is “both terrifyingly brutal and massively popular” as some 7,000 people have been killed in the anti-drug campaign since June 2016. Most politicians have kept their heads down but not the diminutive, strong-willed former chair of the justice committee, Senator Leila de Lima. She ended up in jail last February. Despite her incarceration she continues to speak out against extra-judicial killings in her country.

The political will to strengthen the FIA is lacking.
In China, a banker is making headlines as the ‘great enforcer’, launching relentless campaigns against corruption as the head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Wang Qishan leads the drive against graft and illicit financial flows netting thousands of officials and businessmen. He has immense public support as “bribes big and small grease China’s wheels of commerce up and down the line”. He is feared because President Xi Jinping supports the national anti-corruption czar.

“Integrity is a word that doesn’t get used a lot in Washington anymore,” said US Senator John McCain. James Comey is an exception. Integrity and professionalism defined his service, as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to a nation where truth has lately been sacrificed at the altar of political expediency. His principled stance against some key members of the administration in which he served could have cost him his job. He remained undeterred. He “followed the law, spoke the truth and did what he believed was right”. He maintained operational autonomy and independence of his bureau.

However, in a bizarre move, Donald Trump abruptly terminated his services at a time when he was leading criminal investigations into the alleged collusion of the American president’s top aides with the Russian government to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. The firing of James Comey was blatantly political, amounting to the erosion of the independence of law enforcement and a blow to the unwritten constitutional norm of political neutrality.

Our Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is the counterpart of the FBI. The FIA was established in 1974 to combat corruption and investigate white-collar crime, including money laundering. While the FBI director’s tenure is 10 years, the president can ask Congress to extend the period. President Obama had to approach Congress to get a two-year extension for Robert Mueller’s tenure.

The tenure of the DG FIA is fixed at three years. However, successive governments have flouted the law, causing irreparable damage to the autonomy and independence of this premier crime- and corruption-fighting agency. The political will to strengthen this federal watchdog is lacking and it is by design that FIA heads are posted and transferred at whim.

As DG FIA in 2009, I was faced with an intriguing tug-of-war between the federal government and the Supreme Court. The latter had tasked the agency with probing allegations of massive corruption and pilferage in Pakistan Steel Mills. A team constituted by the director general was required to submit a weekly progress report to the court. However, the then interior minister chose to issue written directions to the agency suggesting a certain mode of investigation as well as including certain officials of his choice from different departments as part of the joint investigation team (JIT) to carry out the probe in a matter entrusted by the apex court.

With great respect and utmost humility, I was constrained to write back to the minister that his directions amounted to interference in the agency’s investigative functions and that the probe team would finalise the process in accordance with the law under my command. No executive or judicial authority could interfere in the legal mandate of the investigation agency. While the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice to the interior minister, it nevertheless chose to look the other way when the director general was soon removed without any reason being assigned, in violation of the law that stipulates a three-year tenure for the FIA head.

In the Panama case, a majority of three Supreme Court judges opted to constitute a joint investigation team directly under their special implementation bench. This JIT is not like the joint interrogation team which is usually notified under the Anti-Terrorism Act,1997, by the interior ministry or home departments to question those suspected of involvement in acts of terrorism, sabotage or anti-state activities. This one is more like a judicial commission directly reporting and working under the apex court.

I would not like to speculate or question the wisdom of the inclusion of representatives of the ISI and MI. However, it appears strange that representatives of the Intelligence Bureau and Federal Board of Revenue have not been included in the team. The move has similarities with the initiative of the Supreme Court of India about a decade back when it took the Central Bureau of Investigation under its wing to supervise investigations against some serving ministers.

I hope the truth will be revealed, no matter who is involved, and justice pursued fairly. Public faith in the integrity of the highest executive office should take priority over all other considerations.

The writer is former DG FIA.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2017

JIT abb tak theek kaam kar rahi hai.

It's the bench, which will be in hot waters in the coming days. Then they may ask the team to not go into further investigation because of 60 days time period.

I have spoken to someone, who says that JIT is ready to go to any extent, however, the first meeting with the bench is most important, which will decide the fate of this investigation.

Kia qaum hai.. dono (bench aur JIT) aik doosray ke kandhay par rakh kar bandooq chalana chahtay hain..

Itni darpok qaum hain hum?
 
JIT abb tak theek kaam kar rahi hai.

It's the bench, which will be in hot waters in the coming days. Then they may ask the team to not go into further investigation because of 60 days time period.

I have spoken to someone, who says that JIT is ready to go to any extent, however, the first meeting with the bench is most important, which will decide the fate of this investigation.

Kia qaum hai.. dono (bench aur JIT) aik doosray ke kandhay par rakh kar bandooq chalana chahtay hain..

Itni darpok qaum hain hum?

I think.. Yeh tu theek hoga..tht JIT should complete its report in 60 days.. Idhar udhar ki inevstigations ke chakkar main lamba prog na hojaye...jis ka koi faida na ho.. So i would want and support the bench to give instructions to JIT to keep the scope of investigations limited which can be completed within 60 days

Infact i think..jo basically questions ke answers chahyein..they can be satisfactority answered within one month..by sec JIT report.. Till the next report..JIT would have questioned PM, and his family members... Tu ek picture to almost clear ho hi jayegi... PM ke tax returns, already aachukay hain.. Hhdabiya ka record JIT ke pass aa chuka hai..Audit firm ke liye pehle hi JIT keh chuki hai.. JIT letter has already reached qatari prince.. So qatari ptince ka koi bhi na koi response aa chuka hoga, by next JIT report..ya ziada se ziada yeh hoga he doesnt respond.. Tu woh bhi JIT apni report main likh dey gi.. I think ..bench and everyone will have a very clear picture by sec JIT report and i think they should be able to decide on disqualification after sec JIT report...

I trust JIT more than the bench... Have no hope from advocate and pakora judge.. Tomorrow's hearing is extremely important... Lets see advocate and pakora judge's reaction... What they will order JIT regd summoning of PM? Tomorrow's hearing will tell everyone a lot abt bench's mood.. Lekin ek aur masla bhi hai... Judges ki mood bhi change hotay rehtay hain..esp pakora judge.. Ek din kuch kahein ge, next day kuch aur...aur jab verdict dein ge tu PM ke favor main

Waisy sirf bench aur JIT hi ek doosray ke kandhay par rakh kar bandooq nahi chalaa rahay.. Kuch aur log bhi bechari JIT ke kandhay par rakh kar bandooq chalaana chahtay hain.. This one, i find most unfair..

Lekin nahi....hosakta hai ke yeh assessment bhi ghalat ho.. Ab jab sab matti pao hochuka hai..tu kahin koi opp role hi na play kardein..woh kuch log, through JIT ..ye bhi dar hai

Regd the article of Tariq Khosa.. Ek cheez main soch rahi thee.. The part where he said, tht I would not like to speculate or question the wisdom of majority judges, to include ISI and MI and excludinhg IB and FBR... I was thinking tht whether he should have written this part..considering tht his brother was one of the two dissenting judges?
 
So after outsourcing everything to other countries; should justice be outsourced to Chinese as well - as honestly speaking Judiciary has failed Pakistan almost every time it was looked for justice.

@Farah Sohail - If PTI discredits JIT then it will go for the kill outside court. Then battle will be fought outside court as they are thinking what has happened in last cases. They accepted them and no outcome. Still deciding which route to take - depending on the outcome of first few hearings of JIT.
Why not outsource justice. A very good idea
 
I think.. Yeh tu theek hoga..tht JIT should complete its report in 60 days.. Idhar udhar ki inevstigations ke chakkar main lamba prog na hojaye...jis ka koi faida na ho.. So i would want and support the bench to give instructions to JIT to keep the scope of investigations limited which can be completed within 60 days

Infact i think..jo basically questions ke answers chahyein..they can be satisfactority answered within one month..by sec JIT report.. Till the next report..JIT would have questioned PM, and his family members... Tu ek picture to almost clear ho hi jayegi... PM ke tax returns, already aachukay hain.. Hhdabiya ka record JIT ke pass aa chuka hai..Audit firm ke liye pehle hi JIT keh chuki hai.. JIT letter has already reached qatari prince.. So qatari ptince ka koi bhi na koi response aa chuka hoga, by next JIT report..ya ziada se ziada yeh hoga he doesnt respond.. Tu woh bhi JIT apni report main likh dey gi.. I think ..bench and everyone will have a very clear picture by sec JIT report and i think they should be able to decide on disqualification after sec JIT report...

I trust JIT more than the bench... Have no hope from advocate and pakora judge.. Tomorrow's hearing is extremely important... Lets see advocate and pakora judge's reaction... What they will order JIT regd summoning of PM? Tomorrow's hearing will tell everyone a lot abt bench's mood.. Lekin ek aur masla bhi hai... Judges ki mood bhi change hotay rehtay hain..esp pakora judge.. Ek din kuch kahein ge, next day kuch aur...aur jab verdict dein ge tu PM ke favor main

Waisy sirf bench aur JIT hi ek doosray ke kandhay par rakh kar bandooq nahi chalaa rahay.. Kuch aur log bhi bechari JIT ke kandhay par rakh kar bandooq chalaana chahtay hain.. This one, i find most unfair..

Lekin nahi....hosakta hai ke yeh assessment bhi ghalat ho.. Ab jab sab matti pao hochuka hai..tu kahin koi opp role hi na play kardein..woh kuch log, through JIT ..ye bhi dar hai

Regd the article of Tariq Khosa.. Ek cheez main soch rahi thee.. The part where he said, tht I would not like to speculate or question the wisdom of majority judges, to include ISI and MI and excludinhg IB and FBR... I was thinking tht whether he should have written this part..considering tht his brother was one of the two dissenting judges?

Mujhay achay ki ummeed sirf iss baat se hai, ke when Ishaq Dollar handpicked his favorite officers from SBP and SECP, SC rejected those officers and brought honest ones. Iss se tou lagta hai ke serious hain.. Warna kyun kartay aisa? Qanoon ne tou nahi roka tha.. balkay qanoon tou hai hi nahi.. Agar bahaney banana chahtay tou wohi team rakhtay jo Ishaq Dollar ne select ki thi..

JIT apni bisaat se barh kar kaam kar rahi hai.. Lekin jitni mazboot Godfather ki sultanate hai, koi baeed nahi ke aagay kia ho...

Yeh aap ne sahi kaha ke JIT ke naatawaan kaandhon pe rakh kar aaj kal shaheen missile chalane ki tayyari ho rahi hai.. Bechati JIT.. Shareef log hain iss main saaray.. bedaagh mazi ke saath aaye hain.. socha bhi nahi tha becharon ne ke towards the end of their careers, iss tarha phansna parega..

But as I said earlier, a man is either honest of corrupt. There is nothing in between. Koi bahana, dabao, paisa, lalach.. career etc beech main nahi aanay chahien.. Duniya bhi milegi aur aakhirat bhi sanwar jaegi.. aur izzat alag..
 
Mujhay achay ki ummeed sirf iss baat se hai, ke when Ishaq Dollar handpicked his favorite officers from SBP and SECP, SC rejected those officers and brought honest ones. Iss se tou lagta hai ke serious hain.. Warna kyun kartay aisa? Qanoon ne tou nahi roka tha.. balkay qanoon tou hai hi nahi.. Agar bahaney banana chahtay tou wohi team rakhtay jo Ishaq Dollar ne select ki thi..

JIT apni bisaat se barh kar kaam kar rahi hai.. Lekin jitni mazboot Godfather ki sultanate hai, koi baeed nahi ke aagay kia ho...

Yeh aap ne sahi kaha ke JIT ke naatawaan kaandhon pe rakh kar aaj kal shaheen missile chalane ki tayyari ho rahi hai.. Bechati JIT.. Shareef log hain iss main saaray.. bedaagh mazi ke saath aaye hain.. socha bhi nahi tha becharon ne ke towards the end of their careers, iss tarha phansna parega..

But as I said earlier, a man is either honest of corrupt. There is nothing in between. Koi bahana, dabao, paisa, lalach.. career etc beech main nahi aanay chahien.. Duniya bhi milegi aur aakhirat bhi sanwar jaegi.. aur izzat alag..

JIT ke liye sab se bari isnpiration tu recently Justice Khosa aur Gulzar hi hain.. Unhon ne dekha hi hai le kaisy in 2 judges ki har jagah izzat horahi hai...media main, aam public main..except Godfather party...har koi unka achay alfaz main zikr karraha hai..

Tu mujhe bhi umeed hai ke jab JIT ke saaray members ka career be daagh raha hai, tu woh surely is challenge main bhi pooray utrein ge..

Rahi baat bench ki... Ke unhon ne Ishaq Dar ke selected officers kiun reject kiye? Wh tu unhein karnay hi thay...warna bhtt laan taan hoti.. Pehle hi har koi yeh keh raha tha ke JIT kaisy investigate karay gi PM ko? ye 3 judges ne jo JIT banayi hai..uska hashar bhi purani JITs wala hoga. Govt officers kaisy investigate karein ge..woh bhi jo unhon ne hi select kiye hon... Tu agar SC wohi members accept kar leti aur baad main media par unki political affiliation bhi aajati...tu SC ko izzat bachanay ke liye koi jagah na milti..

Aur waisy uski kasar...last hearing main Advocate ne aik ko bura bhala keh kasar poori kar li na..jo aag lagi hui thee..

Main ne hamesha note kiya tha ke jab bhi panama case ki hearing ke dauran..jab bhi sharif family ke lawyers se judges sakht sawal poochtay thay..us din advocate hamesha khamosh rehtay thay.. Phir next day aatay thay...poori tayyari se...aur phir Sharif family ke defense main koi bari logic ya question laatay thay..oot patang si...ya phir PTI ke against.. Main ne bhtt dafa note ki thee, yeh baat ke jab sharif family ki durgat banti thee, us waqt advocate khamosh rehtay thay aur next day badla le liya kartay thay..

Yahan bhi bilkol wohi pattern repeat hua.. Jab JIT ke achay members ba haalat e majboori select karnay parr gaye tu saath hi main IK ko bhi khari khari sunaa dein, last hearing main

Is liye mujhe tu advocate aur pakora judge par bharosa nahi hai
 
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Embassy in Qatar has delivered to Qatari Prince Hamad Bin Jassim a sealed envelope, possibly bearing a questionnaire from the Joint Investigation Team [JIT] probing the Sharif family’s offshore properties in the light of the Supreme Court’s April 20 verdict in the Panamagate case.

Forwarded through the Foreign Office, the JIT sent the envelope to Prince Jassim as during the Panamagate case hearing, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s legal team had present two letters from the prince in a bid to establish the money trail of the London properties owned by Sharifs.

According to sources, the envelope was delivered to the prince despite interference from Saifur Rehman, a close aide of the Sharif family and the chairman of the defunct Ehtesab Bureau, who first pressured the embassy officials to unseal the envelope and later urged them not to deliver it to the prince at all.

However, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar Shahzad Ahmad refused to act on Rehman’s wishes and delivered the sealed envelop to the prince on Thursday, said the sources.

Saifur Rehman is stationed in Qatar, reportedly tasked with helping the Sharif family with regard to the JIT’s ongoing investigation.

The Sharifs have also engaged their trusted legal aide and former attorney general of Pakistan [AGP] Salman Aslam Butt to manage the affairs related to the involvement of the Qatari prince in the case.
Meanwhile, the Sharif family did not challenge the Panamagate judgment as a 30-day time limit for filing a review petition ended on Saturday.

In the judgment, two senior most members of the five-judge larger bench – Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar Ahmad – had disqualified the prime minister for dishonesty with the nation and the court. Both judges will be the next chief justices of Pakistan.

The rest of the three judges had, however, ordered the formation of a JIT to probe the offshore proprieties of the ruling family. The same bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, will examine the first progress report of the JIT on May 22 [Monday].

Some senior experts say the family still has a couple of days to file review petition as the 30-day time limit starts the day the certified copy of the verdict is received from the registrar office. The experts say the family may file a review petition till Monday [tomorrow].

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had earlier told the media that a reference to Godfather in the Panama Papers judgment was ‘disturbing’ and that they were considering filing a review petition against such remarks.
The 540-page verdict begins with a quote from Mario Puzo’s novel that says: “Behind every great fortune there is a crime.” The quote is originally attributed to 19th-century French writer Balzac.

Makhdoom Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja and Shahid Hamid – the top legal experts who represented the Sharifs in the Panamagate case – advised them not to contest the verdict. They even opposed the very idea of approaching the court for expunging Justice Khosa’s remarks, fearing further complications.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI lawyer Chaudhry Faisal Hussain said since the Sharif family has not challenged the verdict within 30 days, it means it has accepted the minority judge findings.


@Farah Sohail
 
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Embassy in Qatar has delivered to Qatari Prince Hamad Bin Jassim a sealed envelope, possibly bearing a questionnaire from the Joint Investigation Team [JIT] probing the Sharif family’s offshore properties in the light of the Supreme Court’s April 20 verdict in the Panamagate case.

Forwarded through the Foreign Office, the JIT sent the envelope to Prince Jassim as during the Panamagate case hearing, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s legal team had present two letters from the prince in a bid to establish the money trail of the London properties owned by Sharifs.

According to sources, the envelope was delivered to the prince despite interference from Saifur Rehman, a close aide of the Sharif family and the chairman of the defunct Ehtesab Bureau, who first pressured the embassy officials to unseal the envelope and later urged them not to deliver it to the prince at all.

However, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar Shahzad Ahmad refused to act on Rehman’s wishes and delivered the sealed envelop to the prince on Thursday, said the sources.

Saifur Rehman is stationed in Qatar, reportedly tasked with helping the Sharif family with regard to the JIT’s ongoing investigation.

The Sharifs have also engaged their trusted legal aide and former attorney general of Pakistan [AGP] Salman Aslam Butt to manage the affairs related to the involvement of the Qatari prince in the case.
Meanwhile, the Sharif family did not challenge the Panamagate judgment as a 30-day time limit for filing a review petition ended on Saturday.

In the judgment, two senior most members of the five-judge larger bench – Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and Justice Gulzar Ahmad – had disqualified the prime minister for dishonesty with the nation and the court. Both judges will be the next chief justices of Pakistan.

The rest of the three judges had, however, ordered the formation of a JIT to probe the offshore proprieties of the ruling family. The same bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, will examine the first progress report of the JIT on May 22 [Monday].

Some senior experts say the family still has a couple of days to file review petition as the 30-day time limit starts the day the certified copy of the verdict is received from the registrar office. The experts say the family may file a review petition till Monday [tomorrow].

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had earlier told the media that a reference to Godfather in the Panama Papers judgment was ‘disturbing’ and that they were considering filing a review petition against such remarks.
The 540-page verdict begins with a quote from Mario Puzo’s novel that says: “Behind every great fortune there is a crime.” The quote is originally attributed to 19th-century French writer Balzac.

Makhdoom Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja and Shahid Hamid – the top legal experts who represented the Sharifs in the Panamagate case – advised them not to contest the verdict. They even opposed the very idea of approaching the court for expunging Justice Khosa’s remarks, fearing further complications.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PTI lawyer Chaudhry Faisal Hussain said since the Sharif family has not challenged the verdict within 30 days, it means it has accepted the minority judge findings.


@Farah Sohail

Hmmm... Nice article.. Mujhe lag raha hai ke sec JIT report will be enough to see...where its heading? Sec JIT report ke baad hi bench (if they are serious) disqualification ka matter consider karsaktay hian.. Kiun ke next report se pehle JIT, PM aur family members ko bhi interrogate karchuki hogi...

Also, this article says tht Sharif family still has couple of days to file review.. So it means..ke PTI kal ke baad bhi...agar chahay tu review file karsakti hai? Lekin petition prepare karnay aur file karnay main bhi time lagta hai.. Tu itna time tu nahi hoga shayad?
 
Hmmm... Nice article.. Mujhe lag raha hai ke sec JIT report will be enough to see...where its heading? Sec JIT report ke baad hi bench (if they are serious) disqualification ka matter consider karsaktay hian.. Kiun ke next report se pehle JIT, PM aur family members ko bhi interrogate karchuki hogi...

Also, this article says tht Sharif family still has couple of days to file review.. So it means..ke PTI kal ke baad bhi...agar chahay tu review file karsakti hai? Lekin petition prepare karnay aur file karnay main bhi time lagta hai.. Tu itna time tu nahi hoga shayad?

They will not file a review in my opinion. They don't want to waste the only review available.
 
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