Panama case: NBP president alleges mistreatment by JIT members
He has written to the Supreme Court registrar, saying he felt as a death sentence convict
June 10, 2017
ISLAMABAD: National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) President Saeed Ahmed has accused the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of violating the Implementation Bench’s recent order requiring “it pays due regard for human dignity”.
In a report sent to the registrar of Supreme Court last Friday, the NBP president has alleged that he was threatened, insulted and subjected to undue pressure during questioning by members of the JIT probing Panama Leaks.
The exact nature of threats or undue pressure was omitted on the pretext that the questions and their relevance to the investigation were confidential matters.
The propriety of JIT’s conduct and whether it has had due regard for the dignity of those being probed has been hotly debated in the fortnight since the prime minister’s eldest son filed an application against two members of the JIT.
The Supreme Court had found the application to have been unsubstantiated and filed prematurely “at least at this stage when nothing significant in terms of the collection of evidence has been done so far".
In its order of May 29 disposing of the application filed on behalf of Hussain Nawaz Sharif, the Supreme Court had ordered: “We direct JIT to proceed with the matter strictly in accordance with law by paying due regard to human dignity. This, we think, is sufficient to cover all concerns of the applicant.”
In his complaint, addressed to the registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the serving NBP president has raised concerns similar to those raised earlier by the Prime Minister’s cousin, Mian Tariq Shafi.
The NBP president has stated how was summoned at the last moment, and then treated as if he was being punished “as a condemned person”.
Tariq Shafi was the first among the parties being interrogated to have filed a complaint against some members of the team who allegedly misbehaved with him during questioning. A copy of the complaint was reportedly sent to the registrar of the Supreme Court for the perusal of the Implementation Bench.
