Wajid Zia unable to defend his own statements: Marriyum Aurangzeb

ISLAMABAD: State Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday slammed Wajid Zia, head of the Panama case joint investigation team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family assets last year, for failing to defend claims made by him earlier in cases against former premier Nawaz Sharif.

“What are you afraid of? If you are afraid, you should not have been involved in any wrongdoings. You shouldn’t have collected fake evidence, which you cannot defend today,” the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said while talking to media here in Islamabad.

Marriyum further said that Zia’s testimony in the accountability court hearing corruption references against Nawaz and family is, in fact, supporting [the stance] of Sharif family.

Zia, who is the additional director of Federal Investigation Agency, during his cross-examination by Nawaz’s counsel on March 28 in the accountability court said that they do not have “documents to show that Nawaz was the beneficial owner of Avenfield”.

His testimony was quoted by Nawaz and daughter Maryam Nawaz to claim that the NAB has no concrete evidence of corruption or money laundering against them.

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.

Nawaz and sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law MNA Capt (retd) Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.