Flagship Investment case: Nawaz’s lawyer completes final arguments

ISLAMABAD: Khawaja Haris, counsel for former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz, Monday concluded his final arguments before the Accountability Court-II of Islamabad in the Flagship Investment corruption reference.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s prosecutor will start his concluding arguments in the case from Tuesday (today). During the course of the proceedings, the defence lawyer pleaded that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) had not asked the former prime minister about the ownership of the Capital FZE company. He said Nawaz Sharif had given information about his United Arab Emirates visa in miscellaneous applications submitted with the Supreme Court.

At this, the AC Judge Arshad Malik observed that only a copy of Nawaz's passport was attached with the miscellaneous applications, which did not show the portfolio the accused had held at the Capital FZE. Khawaja Haris said the JIT also did not verify the trade licence from the UAE authorities before presenting the same to the court. The JIT also did not send any mutual legal assistance (MLA) to the UAE for verification of the source documents, and that fact is being concealed, he alleged.

The documents, he said, could not be presented as evidence against his client. He said the JIT even did not file any application seeking the business details of Capital FZE. To a query of the judge, the counsel said the Capital FZE is a one man company and thereis no specified procedure for appointment of its board chairman. The judge then remarked that once the NAB prosecutor concluded his arguments, the court would grant time to the defence lawyer for cross arguments. The court asked Haris to give a statement regarding completion of evidence after submission of documents in favour of his client. At this, Haris said he hoped that the remaining documents would be received by Tuesday. After the defence finished his arguments, the court adjourned the case till Tuesday.