Fortune does not necessarily translate to treasure: Rana Sanaullah

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday expressed his wish that the verdict of the Panama case had begun quoting a verse from the Holy Qur’an or citing a Hadith instead of a reference to Mario Puzo's 1969 novel 'The Godfather'.

Referring to Justice Asif Saeed Khosa's dissenting note in the verdict of Panama Leaks case, Sanaullah said the word 'fortune' does not necessarily translate to 'treasure'.

"I have searched through many dictionaries. The word fortune does not mean treasure; it means good luck. It is through good fortune that a lawyer becomes a judge of the Supreme Court," he said.

Justice Khosa's dissenting note had started of with a reference to the popular 1969 novel 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo recounting the violent take of a Mafia family. Justice Khosa began his note with the following epigraph selected by Puzo in 'The Godfather':

Behind every great fortune there is a crime.

— Balzac

Rana Sanaullah said that they accept the Supreme Court’s verdict in letter and spirit, adding that the dissenting note is not part of the verdict and it is merely considered an opinion of the judge.

He said that ISPR has put faith in the decision of Supreme Court and has backed the judiciary.

Punjab Law Minister claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his aides were not accepting a part of the verdict.

He further said that the general elections would be held in 2018 and the people then would given their verdict.

“If the masses give someone else an opportunity to serve people, we would accept it”, he added.

In its ruling last week, the Supreme Court had ordered the formation of a six-member JIT to probe corruption allegations by opposition parties against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Leaks case.

The top court had ordered the inclusion of one member each from the Military Intelligence and the Inter-Services Intelligence in the six-member team, which will carry out an investigation into funds used by the prime minister's children to buy properties in London through offshore businesses.

The investigation team will also comprise of one senior officer each from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The apex court has ordered the heads of the six departments and institutions, including the ISI and MI, to recommend names of their nominees for the JIT within seven days. Names of the six nominated officers will be placed before the apex court bench for their approval before they can begin their probe into the allegations.

 "The JIT shall investigate the case and collect evidence, if any, showing that respondent No.1 [Nawaz Sharif] or any of his dependents or benamidars owns, possesses or has acquired assets or any interest therein disproportionate to his known means of income," read the order of the apex court.

The court has also ordered Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and his two sons Hasan and Hussein Nawaz to "appear and associate themselves with the JIT as and when required".

The investigation team has to complete its report and submit it to the apex court within 60 days of its formation.