Marriyum Aurangzeb says ‘star witness’ testified in favour of Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday that the 'star witness' has testified in favour of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today.

The jibe was aimed at the Panama Joint Investigation Team head Wajid Zia.

Speaking to the press, Aurangzeb said: "Its a good news for the nation that the star witness has given testimony in favour of Nawaz, Wajid Zia has said that Nawaz Sharif has no link with Avenfield case."

Zia, the former director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), was cross-examined by Sharif's counsel Khwaja Harris in the court of accountability judge Muhammed Bashir, who resumed hearing the Avenfield reference against Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar.

The minister informed that she came to know about the meeting between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar through the Supreme Court’s press release.

She said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader is taking the court case against him to the masses.

Earlier in the day, Nawaz told journalists after appearing before the accountability court on Wednesday that the prosecutions 'star witness' Wajid Zia's testimony has "washed away all the allegations against us."

Khawaja Harris cross-examines Wajid Zia

During proceedings, Khwaja Harris questioned Zia if there were any documents which proved that Nawaz currently is, or ever was, the beneficial owner of Avenfield? To this Zia replied: "We don't have documents to show that Nawaz was the beneficial owner of Avenfield."

"It is partially correct that we found out about the beneficial owner on the basis of two letters written in 2012 and 2017," said Wajid Zia, adding that they came to the conclusion analysing the letters and laws of the United Kingdom.

He further remarked that he has never seen original documents of registered offshore holdings.

Zia's testimony proves case against me is a fraud: Nawaz

The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017

The accountability court is hearing three corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.

On Tuesday, Federal Investigation Agency Additional Director Wajid Zia, who headed the Panama case investigation team which probed the Sharif family's assets, finished recording his statement in the Avenfield case against the Sharif family.

As Zia resumed recording his statement for the fifth time, he informed the court that Nawaz's elder son Hussain owned the Avenfield flats from 1993 to 1996.

When Maryam's counsel Amjad Pervez objected to the claim, Zia said Hussain had informed the JIT of the same so the fact cannot be disputed. Zia also asserted that the signed documents submitted to the JIT by Nawaz's children were bogus.

The cases

The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14, 2017.

The corruption references, filed against the Sharif family, pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, offshore companies including Flagship Investment Ltd, and Avenfield properties of London.