Pakistan SC Disqualifies Nawaz Sharif in Panama Papers Case: A Timeline

Sharif has stepped down from the Prime Minister's post after being disqualified by Supreme Court in Panama Papers scandal, according to state-run PTV.

Islamabad, July 28: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Panama Papers corruption case. The court has sent the case against Sharif to anti-corruption court for trial. The court has ordered National Accountability Bureau to file case against Sharif and his children in six weeks time.

Sharif has stepped from the Prime Minister’s post after being disqualified by Supreme Court in Panama Papers scandal, according to state-run PTV.

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has also disqualified by the Court in Panama papers corruption case.

Sharif has been ousted by graft allegations during the first of his three terms as prime minister in 1993. He has not yet completed a term as prime minister, having been toppled in his second term by a military coup in 1999.

The controversy erupted in 2016 with the publication of 11.5 million secret documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca documenting the offshore dealings of many of the world’s rich and powerful. The documents showed Sharif’s three children owned at least three offshore holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Here is the timeline of the case:

April 3, 2016: Sharif and his family came under spotlight after the Panama Papers were released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists which revealed a sensational tax heaven leak.

April 5, 2016: Sharif addressed the nation and announced to set up a judicial probe to investigate the money trail of offshore firms owned by his family.

April 22, 2016: Sharif said he will resign and go home if proven guilty by the Panama Papers probe.

May 16, 2016: Sharif asked Parliament to form a commission to investigate allegations stemming from the Panama Papers leak.

September 4, 2016: Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan said Sharif’s name should be placed on Exit Control List (ECL) by the Supreme Court, till the probe into his family members’ off shore holdings revealed in the Panama Papers concludes.

October 20, 2016: The Supreme Court took up petitions by PTI, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamhoori Watan Party and others for hearing, in an open court, beginning the long-drawn proceedings of the case in the apex court.

October 28, 2016: Islamabad Police stormed PTI youth convention and arrested over 200 party workers for protesting against the Sharif government. Imran Khan gave a call for countrywide protests against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government.

October 31, 2016: A Pakistan High Court barred Imran Khan’s planned lockdown of Islamabad and ordered it to hold a sit-in at the designated place instead, as authorities arrested at least 1,500 party activists in a crackdown.

November 1, 2016: Supreme Court ordered a probe into the Panama Papers scandal involving corruption allegations against the family of Sharif.

November 7, 2016: Sharif’s children submit their replies in the Supreme Court. They said that their father has no involvement in their businesses as well no connection with properties in London.

November 14, 2016: PTI submitted documents against the Sharif family. The 686 pages included details of bank accounts and loans written off.

January 4, 2017: Supreme Court decided to conduct daily hearings against Sharif and his family members for their alleged corruption exposed in the Panama Papers leak.

January 5, 2017: Maryam Sharif submits her reply in the Supreme Court which included details of her income.

January 25, 2017: Sharif during his four-day stay in Davos to attend the World Economic Forum was not allowed to deliver any speech following his alleged involvement in corruption, according to local media.

January 25, 2017: The Supreme Court asked Sharif and his family to present documents related with the distribution of properties after the demise of Mian Muhammad Sharif in 2004. A five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa asked Sharif’s counsel to submit documents relating to the settlement of Sharif properties.

January 27, 2017: German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung once again released some more documents supposedly linking Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif to the company that owns the Park Lane flats in London despite the Sharif family pleading innocence in the Panamagate case before the Supreme Court.

February 15, 2017: The Supreme Court asked Sharif’s family to produce documentary evidence to establish ownership of flats in London that are under the scanner.

February 16, 2017: Maryam owned four flats in the upscale Mayfair locality in London for six months in 2006, a media report quoted the counsel for the Sharif family as telling the Supreme Court as it heard the high-profile Panamagate case.

February 23, 2017: The Supreme Court hearings conclude; judgement awaited. After prolonged hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the case and issued a detailed judgement to be announced in April.

April 20, 2017: The Supreme Court said there was not enough evidence to disqualify Sharif and ordered a fresh probe into corruption charges as revealed in the Panama Papers.

May 5, 2017: The three-member bench of the Supreme Court named the five members who will probe Sharif and his family business dealings abroad. The officials included are Brigadier Nauman Saeed from the Inter-Services Intelligence, Aamer Aziz from the State Bank of Pakistan, Bilal Rasool from the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Irfan Naeem Mangi from the National Accountability Bureau and Wajid Zia from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The team will be headed by the FIA director.

May 20, 2017: Pakistani lawyers gave a seven-day deadline to Sharif to resign on the Panama Papers scandal otherwise they will launch a nationwide movement against him.

May 27, 2017: Hussain Nawaz has submitted a plea against two JIT Officers, Bilal Rasool and Ahmer Aziz, expressing his apprehension about the impartiality of the officers in the Panamagate probe.

May 29, 2017: The Supreme Court dismissed the objections raised by Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz against members of a team investigating the Sharif family’s overseas businesses in connection with the Panama Papers case.

June 7, 2017: A high-profile investigation team probing the graft allegations against Sharif and his two sons submitted its first second fortnightly report to the Supreme Court. The court expressed satisfaction over the progress of the case and said the JIT should complete the investigation in 60 days as set earlier.

June 15, 2017: Sharif said he and his family have done nothing wrong as he lashed out at “some unseen elements” for hatching conspiracies against his democratically-elected government.

July 5, 2017: Maryam Sharif appeared for the first time before the JIT probing the Panamagate graft case against her family. She was accompanied by her husband Muhammad Safdar, brothers Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb and prime minister’s Special Assistant Asif Kirmani.

July 11, 2017: The Panamagate JIT has accused Maryam of presenting fake documents on two 2006 declarations to the probe team using the “Calibri” font which was not commercially available till January 30, 2007.

July 23, 2017: Sharif has admitted before the Supreme Court that he had obtained a permit to work in a company in the UAE while rejecting the allegation that he had concealed his employment. Sharif said his employment with the Capital FZE and obtaining of work permit for it had been mentioned in his nomination papers submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) during the 2013 general election.

July 28, 2017: Pakistan Supreme Court disqualified Sharif in Panama Papers corruption case. The court has sent the case against Sharif to anti-corruption court for trial.