–JIT head Zia tells accountability court they didn’t question deposed PM about ownership and funding of Hill Metal company
ISLAMABAD: Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head Wajid Zia on Friday told the accountability court that no substantial evidence linking former prime minister Nawaz Sharif with Hill Metal Establishment had been found during the probe.
The star witness said this during the hearing of the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference headed by Judge Mohammad Bashir on Friday.
“Neither any witness claimed nor there is any document to show that Nawaz was involved in any way with Hill Metal Establishment,” informed Zia during his cross-examination by Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Harris.
“There was also no document showing that Nawaz had the authority to take loans or run Hill Metal or made deals with financial institutions,” he further testified and added, “Nor was there any document regarding Nawaz’s involvement in the sale or running of Gulf Steel Mills,” the JIT head continued.
“According to the documents presented, it was registered in 2005,” he said in reply to a question about the registration date of the Hill Metal Establishment.
“JIT could not ascertain during the investigation that Hill Metal was a sole proprietorship or a partner company,” he asserted.
Furthermore, the Panamagate JIT head was asked if he had interrogated the former premier regarding the establishment of Hill Metal at any point during the investigation to which he replied in negative.
“He was not asked about who funded, owns or runs Hill Metal,” he added.
Khawaja Harris then asked him he had inquired about whether the money made from Hill Metal was invested by Nawaz in politics. The JIT head testified that he had questioned the former premier on the matter and that he had responded with a ‘no’.
“No witness claimed that Hussain Nawaz was financially supported by Nawaz during his time abroad,” added Zia.
Zia’s cross-examination has been adjourned until June 4.
He has testified that the investigation has not revealed any document which proves the ownership of Al-Azizia Steel Mills possessed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Zia, an additional director at the Federal Investigation Agency, headed the Panama case joint investigation team (JIT) which probed the Sharif family’s assets last year.
NAB had initially filed three interim references – pertaining to Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Hill Metal Establishment and offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd and London flats – against the Sharif family in September last year after the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case to disqualify Nawaz as PM. The anti-graft body has also filed supplementary references.
