NewsJune 04, 2017
Similarities in Sharif family, PTI chief’s offshore companies’ cases
ISLAMABAD: There are a number of similarities and identical facts in the offshore companies related cases against the Sharif family and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, which are at different stages of disposal in the Supreme Court or Joint Investigation Team (JIT), constituted by it.During hearing of the case in the apex court against him, the PTI chief has introduced his friend Rashid Ali Khan as the man who, he claims, got five remittances from Jemima to pay for the Banigala land as he did not have the money at the time and was waiting for the sale of his London flat, the asset held by his offshore company, Niazi Services Limited (NSL).
Imran Khan presented this as the money trail. However, he did not produce before the court the details as to how he brought the sale proceeds of his London apartment to Pakistan. Questions continue to be raised on sending money to Rashid Ali Khan’s account and not to the PTI chairman’s by Jemima, and the unexplained method of receipt of flat money in Pakistan.
Now, traces of three missing bank transactions have been found by Jemima, which has relieved Imran Khan to some extent. However, these details are yet to be scrutinized by the Supreme Court.
A Qatari prince had issued a letter to the Sharif family to serve as the money trail of remittance of its funds from Dubai to Qatar, subsequently used to buy the London apartments. Many questions had been aggressively raised over this letter by the judges and lawyers during the court hearings. The JIT has also been asked to determine whether sudden appearance of the letters of Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani is a myth or a reality. The JIT is all set to ask questions from the Qatari sheikh.
Another striking similarity is that both Hussain and Imran Khan are the “benamidar” owners of the offshore companies – NSL of the latter, and Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited of the former. They are also their beneficial owners. In the case of the PTI chairman, it has now been revealed, his sisters are the directors of the NSL while he had previously expressed ignorance about this fact.
Likewise in the case of the Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited, Hussain is their beneficial owner whereas his sister, Maryam, is the trustee. Their directors are some foreigners. However, the JIT has been asked to investigate as to who, in fact, is the real and beneficial owner of Nielsen Enterprises Limited and Nescoll Limited.
Another conspicuous resemblance is that as per Imran Khan’s claim he earned the money abroad and purchased the London flat. After selling it, he brought the funds to Pakistan and took no money outside of the country. The Sharif family also emphasizes that it took no money out of Pakistan to establish its steel business in Dubai. It says when this was not done the question of money laundering or involving corruption money doesn’t arise.
Imran Khan did not declare in his tax returns his NSL and the London flat. Now he has admitted that it was an omission, mistake that was not deliberate. As the Panama scandal emerged, he had attacked the offshore companies as a whole and dubbed them as a safe haven for corruption money. But when his own company was discovered, he changed his stance on this kind of business.
Hussain also did not declare his offshore companies and London apartments in Pakistan. He wasn’t required to do so for being non-tax resident. He owned these companies after the matter came before the Supreme Court.
It is clear that the court has already formed the JIT to investigate the Sharif family. However, it appears that the three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar may refer the case relating to the offshore company and foreign funding to the PTI against Imran Khan to a committee or commission or the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for detailed inquiry. The chief justice has observed more than once that they want to go deep into the matter for investigation.
In a TV talk show, prominent lawyer Dr Farough Naseem agreed that there are many similarities between different aspects and facts of the cases against the Sharif family and Imran Khan. He said that the PTI chairman would be in trouble if he failed to prove the money trail up to the satisfaction of the apex court. At present, he added, there are a number of questions that require answers from the PTI chief.
Courtesy www.thenews.com.pk
Back to Pakistanlink Home