Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday was summoned by a joint investigation team formed by the country’s Supreme Court to look into the Panama Paper case and the allegations made against Sharif and his family, Dawn reported. The team has asked him to appear before them on June 15.
Sharif will become Pakistan’s first sitting prime minister who will appear before an investigating agency, the report added. In the past few weeks, the JIT, comprising of representatives of intelligence agencies, has questioned Sharif’s sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, The Hindu reported.
The prime minister has been asked to bring along “relevant record or documents” relating to the case to the Federal Judicial Academy – where the temporary headquarters of the JIT is situated, Geo News reported. On Sunday, Sharif had been briefed by his team of lawyers during a consultation meeting held to discuss the proceedings in the Panama case, the report added.
In November last year, the Pakistani Supreme court had ordered an investigation against Sharif and his family after the leaked papers from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca revealed that they had offshore companies and assets worth millions of dollars. According to the documents, Sharif’s children Maryam, Hasan and Hussain “were owners or had the right to authorise transactions for several companies”. In April this year, the top court had formed the joint investigation team and had given it two months’ time to complete its inquiry.
The leaked documents from Mossack Fonseca had divulged the hidden offshore wealth of several of the world’s top leaders and celebrities.
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