Ousted Pak PM Sharif, sons unlikely to appear before anti-corruption body

Islamabad: Ousted Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his two sons are unlikely to appear before the country’s top anti-graft body on Friday for interrogation in connection with money laundering and corruption cases.

Sharif, after receiving the summons, has decided not to join the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation till the Supreme Court decides his review petition against the apex court’s July 28 verdict to disqualify him from office, a senior PML-N leader told PTI.

A NAB team of 10 members reached Lahore from Rawalpindi to record the statements of Sharif and his two sons.

One of the three applications filed by Sharif in the Supreme Court has called for staying “further implementation of the judgement till a decision on the review petition is taken”.

The apex court is likely to take up Sharif’s review petition early next month after the judges’ vacation.

Sharif has expressed serious concerns on the NAB investigation against him and his family members, saying that it was unprecedented for a Supreme Court judge to supervise NAB proceedings against him and his family members to get a “desired result”.

“Mr Sharif has also been advised by some of his party to boycott the NAB investigations as he would not get any relief as it has already been decided to grill him,” the PML-N leader said on condition of anonymity.

The NAB, however, said it will issue second summons to Sharif and his sons if they do not join the investigations after the first summons. The third and final summons will be issued next month if there is no compliance with the second summons.

The NAB on the directive of the Supreme Court issued summons to Sharif and his sons to interrogate them in its Lahore office in connection with their offshore properties revealed by the Panama Papers case.

On July 28, the five-member bench of the Supreme Court had disqualified Sharif for possessing a work permit in the firm of his son in the UAE.

Sharif and his family members -- two sons Hussain and Hasan, daughter Maryam, son-in-law Safdar and relatives Ishaq Dar and Tariq Shafi -- are facing many cases, including over the Al-Azizia Steel Mills, the Hill Metal Establishment and Hudabiya Papers Mills.