Broadsheet case: Inquiry commission wraps up investigation

• Broadsheet commission completes its investigation.
• A 100-page report has been prepared by the commission, headed by Justice (retd) Azmat Saeed Sheikh.
• UK-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet LLC had been hired in 2000 by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s government to help recover assets stashed by past Pakistani rulers abroad.

A commission of inquiry headed by Justice (retd) Azmat Saeed Sheikh has completed its probe into the Broadsheet case.

According to sources, a 100-page inquiry report has been prepared. It is expected that the report will be sent to the federal government sometime this week.

UK-based asset recovery firm Broadsheet LLC had been hired in 2000 by General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s government to help recover assets stashed by past Pakistani rulers abroad.

Read more: Broadsheet ends up paying Rs4.5m to Sharif family in London lawsuit

Sources said that statements and documents of several people have been attached to the 100-page report separately.

The commission was set up on January 29 this year to probe the Broadsheet case. It had formally launched its investigation on February 9, 2021, while the Opposition had refused to accept the commission headed by Justice (retd) Saeed.

Sources said the report said a payment of Rs1.5 million to Broadsheet is missing from the records.

Broadsheet company was wrongly paid Rs1.5 million, the report said, adding that wrong payment is counted as fraud with the state of Pakistan.

Read more: Pakistan’s £1 million frozen by London bank following court order in favour of Broadsheet

Payment alone cannot be termed as negligence, the Broadsheet commission report said. It added that files were stolen from the ministries of finance and law and the attorney-general's office.

The Broadsheet commission got all its details from NAB documents, the report said.