Pak SC to hold daily hearings against PM
Pakistan's Supreme Court yesterday decided to conduct daily hearings against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members for their alleged corruption exposed in the Panama Papers leak, a case that can have serious repercussions on the premier's political future.
The five-member larger bench of the court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa resumed hearings of the case after more than two weeks of break.
Justice Khosa announced that the case would be heard on day-to-day basis, thus accepting a major demand of opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who is one the five petitioners in the case.
The petitioners alleged that Sharif and his family made assets in London through money laundering.
The assets were allegedly run through offshore companies which were exposed by the Panama papers leak last year. Sharif, 67, has rejected the charges of illegal transfer of any money from Pakistan.
PTI counsel Naeem Bokhari in his arguments said Sharif misguided lawmakers in a speech regarding his assets delivered last year in the National Assembly following the Panama leaks, saying that the PM failed to prove the money trail.
Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and two sons are represented through three different lawyers.
The case may drag on for weeks or months. Sharif would be disqualified if proved guilty and conversely Imran Khan would receive serious blow ahead of next year elections as his whole campaign is built on Sharif's alleged corruption.
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