Panama Papers: Nawaz Sharif presents letter against charges of misappropriation of funds

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday submitted in the Supreme Court the details of his assets which included a letter by a Qatari prince who provided funds for purchase of controversial properties in London, which are now owned by Sharif’s children. [caption id=“attachment_3106668” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of Nawaz Sharif. Reuters[/caption] Sharif and his daughter Maryam submitted a 397-page document detailing their assets. The most interesting document given to the court is the letter from Qatari prince Shaikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad bin Abdullah bin Jassim bin Muhammed Al Thani, stating that he gave money to the premier’s family for the purchase of flats in London. Sharif’s children’s counsel Akram Sheikh submitted the letter addressed to the apex court. It says that Sharif in 1980 invested 12 million Dirhams in the Al Thani company belonging to the Qatari prince’s father. “In the year 2006, the accounts in relation to the above investment were settled between Hussain Nawaz Sharif and Al Thani family, who then delivered the bearer shares of the companies…to a representative of Hussain Nawaz Sharif (Sharif’s son),” the letter read. The letter immediately got a terse response from one of the five judges hearing the case who observed that the letter contradicts Sharif’s statement in parliament this year when he did not disclose the source of money or that he got it from a Qatari company. The court is hearing five identical petitions by Imran Khan and others that Sharif’s children were listed in Panama papers as having offshore companies used to acquire properties in London. The petitioners asked the court to probe if the properties were purchased with legal money. The court set 17 November for next hearing and also asked that Sharif’s two sons – Hassan and Hussain should also submit the details of their assets. Earlier, Imran’s legal team submitted details to prove that Sharif laundered millions out of the country to build assets abroad which are now owned by his children. The case could be make or break for Sharif who was elected third time Prime Minister in 2013. The Qatari prince’s letter may prove instrumental to dispel the charges by opposition that the London flats were bought with illegal money transferred by the Sharif family when he was ruling the country.