Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday concluded the hearing of a corruption case against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family in the Panama Papers case and reserved its judgement, the Dawn reported. The bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal and comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, did not give any date for the announcement of the verdict.
“We are conscious of the fundamental rights of petitioners and respondents,” said Justice Saeed, adding that the court will follow due procedure of the law while delivering judgment in the case, according to the Khaleej Times.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had begun its hearing in the corruption case against Sharif. The three-judge bench had heard arguments from lawyers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan Awami Muslim League politician Sheikh Rashid.
The Panama Papers case
The Pakistani Supreme Court had set up the Joint Investigation Team after Sharif was named in the Panama Papers leak in 2016. The leaked documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca had revealed that three of his children owned offshore companies and undisclosed assets, including four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.
The panel had said it had found significant disparities between Sharif’s and his family’s income and their actual wealth, and recommended filing a corruption case against them. The family members implicated include Sharif’s sons Hassan and Hussain Sharif and his daughter Maryam Sharif.
Sharif continues to retain the status of a billionaire. His declared assets stood at at 1.84 billion Pakistani rupees (Rs 1.13 billion) in 2016.
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