Sharifs fail to appear before NAB Lahore: sources

LAHORE: Members of the Sharif family who were summoned by National Accountability Bureau Lahore earlier in the day failed to appear before the court, sources said. 

According to sources, the six-member team of NAB Lahore was waiting for Sharifs to question them over the London properties today. The team headed by NAB Lahore Director General Shehzad Saleem had summoned Hassan, Hussain Nawaz, Maryam Safdar and Captain (retd) Safdar by 2pm. 

Sources said NAB summoned Sharif family members for enquiry of London properties, sources said. A day earlier, the bureau had written to the Supreme Court, requesting for permission to record the statements of members of Panama case Joint Investigation Team, sources added.

As per the request, NAB has said statements of the JIT members were required to file a reference against the Sharif family.

Earlier, NAB Lahore had requested the same, but JIT head Wajid Zia responded saying the team had dissolved, therefore, the matter should be taken to the Supreme Court, sources in NAB said.

But NAB sources said further notices would not be issued if Sharif family members did not appear before the accountability court.

The law suggests three notices are issued with a gap of 15 days for each, sources added. As of yet, 21 days are left for the bureau to file references in the Panama case.

When NAB summoned Hassan and Hussain Nawaz to file their replies pertaining to the bureau's references against them, the brothers did not show up. Reports stated Hassan and Hussain would not appear until a verdict was passed on the review petitions submitted earlier by the family in the apex court.

NAB was conveyed the same in writing by the Sharif family legal team.

"My client Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has been apprised of the above cited notice today and instructed me to convey his inability to appear before the Combined Investigation Team as has already filed a review petition against the judgment dated 28.07.2017," read the letter. 

In its July 28 verdict, the Supreme Court had ruled to send references against Nawaz Sharif, his children Maryam, Hussain and Hasan, son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar and Ishaq Dar to an accountability court.

In its order, the five-member-bench requested the chief justice of Pakistan to nominate a judge of the Supreme Court to supervise and monitor implementation of the judgment and oversee proceedings of NAB and the accountability court.