Panama papers case: Nawaz Sharif's children challenge SC verdict; file review petition

Islamabad: Ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s children and his son-in-law on Friday filed review petitions challenging the Supreme Court’s 28 July verdict in the Panama Papers case. [caption id=“attachment_3952645” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Reuters[/caption] The court was urged on Friday to set aside its directive to the anti-corruption body to file corruption references against Hussain, Hassan and Maryam Nawaz and Sharif’s son-in-law Captain Mohammad Safdar (retd) relating to the Avenfield properties in London and 16 offshore companies, Dawn newspaper reported. In July, a five-member bench of the Supreme Court disqualified Sharif from office following a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probe that exposed illegal family wealth stashed abroad. Sharif’s children and son-in-law have each filed two petitions one challenging the judgement of the five-member SC bench and the other against the verdict reserved by the three-member Panama Papers implementation bench. The pleas stated that the Supreme Court “should stay the filing of the reference against the applicants until the review petitions were heard and decided”. The petitions also questioned the probe carried out by the six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on court orders, saying it was “incomplete” and contrary to the requisites of justice. This is the third batch of petitions seeking a review of the verdict in the Panama Papers case. On 15 August, Sharif filed a similar petition questioning his disqualification and moved a separate application with a request to suspend the final verdict in the Panama Papers case as long as the review petition was pending. Later on 21 August, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar questioned the apex court’s authority to make a judgement about his assets being beyond his means.