Sharif's younger son appears before Panama papers probe panel

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's younger son, Hassan Nawaz, on Friday made his first appearance before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted by the Supreme Court to probe the Panama Papers case.

Hassan arrived at the Federal Judicial Academy accompanied by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) to record his statement before the JIT, Dawn reported.

A day earlier, Sharif's elder son, Hussain Nawaz, appeared before the JIT for the third time over the past five days to defend the money trail of the Sharifs' London properties.

As he emerged from the JIT secretariat, Hussain claimed that there was not an iota of evidence of any wrongdoing or illegality committed by him, his father, brother and sister.

Hussain was summoned by the JIT for a fourth round of questioning but it was not specified when he will make his next appearance.

The six-member JIT was constituted by the Supreme Court to examine the financial transactions of the Sharif family to buy four apartments in Park Lane, London.

The JIT had also summoned Qatari royal Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al-Thani. Two letters signed by the Qatari royal had been presented before the top court by representatives of the Prime Minister's children's during the Supreme Court's hearing of the Panamagate case.

In his first appearance before the JIT, Hussain had refused to answer questions put forth by the investigative body, saying that the JIT's status was "sub judice" as he had already filed a petition before the apex court regarding two of its constituents.

Subsequently, the apex court rejected Hussain's plea, seeking exclusion of the two JIT members. After each of the next two hearings, the elder son of the Premier told reporters that he answered all of the questions put forth to him by the members of the JIT.

--IANS

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