Panama Case: JIT set to begin probe into Sharifs’ money trail

ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) will begin its investigation from today (Tuesday).

The SC’s special bench constituted the JIT to probe funds used by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's children to buy properties in London through offshore businesses.

The Additional Director at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Wajid Zia will be heading the six-member JIT.

Other members of the investigation team include Brigadier Kamran Khurshid from the Military Intelligence (MI), Amer Aziz from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Bilal Rasool, an executive director at the Securities Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Irfan Naeem Mangi, a Director at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and Brigadier Muhammad Nauman Saeed from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The team of investigators has decided to seek assistance from the FIA and experts from private sector. The head of the JIT has already written a letter to the DG FIA in this regard.

Earlier on Monday, JIT members met at the Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad to decide on method of investigation for the Panama verdict implementation. The judicial academy has been declared the JIT Secretariat, with offices of the members also moved to it.

The SC directed the federal government to provide the JIT with the necessary funds required to carry out the investigation. The apex court also ordered to provide the JIT an initial amount of Rs20 million.