Avenfield apartments: Nawaz has no link to properties: counsel

The lead counsel for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Khawaja Haris, on Friday claimed that his client neither remained a beneficial owner of the Avenfield apartments nor did he have any link with these properties. Presenting his final arguments before the Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir in the Avenfield reference, Haris said that Sharif has no connection with two offshore companies, Nielson and Nescoll, holding the London flats.
Haris said that the name of his client is not mentioned in the 81 documents produced by the prosecution in the court. Only the Affidavit of Shazi Naqvi is relevant to the Avenfield apartments but he also stated that Sharif had no concern or involvement in any transaction related to obtaining of loan by Hudaibiya Papers Mills and ending with its purported settlement.
He said the spreadsheet submitted by the prosecution in the court has no mention of the Avenfield properties. Most of the photocopies presented by the prosecution in the court are unverified, he said.
Haris said the matter related to trust deeds of two offshore companies Nielson and Nescoll is between Maryam Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz and no third person is involved in it. Therefore, Nawaz Sharif has no relation with the trust deeds, he said.
Sharif's counsel further said that it was the responsibility of the prosecution to establish the ownership of the London flats but National Accountability Bureau (NAB) failed to establish it. Some of the documents produced by the prosecution have no link with the Avenfield properties, he said.
He said the civil miscellaneous application (CMA), mutual legal assistance (MLA) requests and affidavit of Tariq Shafi, upon which NAB had relied, did not mention the name of the former premier.
Haris said that as per the affidavit of Tariq Shafi, in 1974 Main Muhammad Sharif, the late father of Nawaz Sharif, set up the Gulf Steel Mill. According to Shafi's affidavit, Muhammad Sharif sold 75 percent shares of Gulf Steel Mill in 1978. His client never remained involved or associated in any means with share sale agreement of 25 percent sale of Ahli Steel Mill in 1980.
He was neither involved nor associated with AED12 million received from Ahli Steel Mill and deposited by Tariq Shafi with Fahad bin Jasim Al-Thani. He said that Sharif has no link with any transaction and most of the transactions took place between Muhammad Sharif and Hussain Nawaz. Later, the court adjourned the hearing till Monday.