ISLAMABAD: Ten days after he began quizzing Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head Wajid Zia, Khawaja Harris, counsel for former premier Nawaz Sharif, on Wednesday concluded cross-examination of the witness in the Avenfield reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the Sharif family on the directives of the apex court last year.
During the examination, Zia said that the JIT did not maintain a daily diary of its proceedings as it was ordered by the Supreme Court to submit a report every 15 days.
He stated that the JIT had not been conducting a criminal investigation but had the powers to conduct an investigation according to the Criminal Procedures Code (CrPC), the National Accountability Ordinance 1999 and under the powers given to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
He revealed that while confidential matters were reviewed only by JIT members, the JIT secretariat had a staff of between 30 and 40 people. This included security guards, record typists and cook.
The JIT also took assistance from 30-40 experts who have not been named in the JIT report as the Supreme Court had been requested to keep their names secret. The apex court had not issued any order in this regard, but their names were not revealed in the report, Zia said.
Earlier, when asked by Haris whether he knew about JIT member Bilal Rasool being a relative of PML-Q founder and current PTI leader Mian Azhar, Zia replied in the affirmative. But he said he could not say for sure whether Rasool’s wife was appointed a lawmaker on a special seat by PML-Q or comment on her active association with the PTI.
He said that he was aware of procedural actions ongoing against Irfan Naeem Mangi, but added he did not know of a committee interrogating him on the orders of the Supreme Court.
He said he was unaware of Brigadier Nauman Masood being a source employee of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
He also said it was incorrect to say that the JIT conducted the investigations against the Sharif family in a biased way or with a specific agenda in mind.
The anti-corruption watchdog had filed three corruption references pertaining to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies, including Flagship Investment Ltd and Avenfield properties of London, against the Sharif family. Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.
Published in Daily Times, April 12th 2018.
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