Avenfield reference: scrap machinery was transported from Sharjah, court told

Key prosecution witness Wajid Zia on Friday told the Accountability Court that according to the contents of a letter of credit, the scrap machinery of Ahli Steel Mills was transported from Sharjah to Jeddah and not from Dubai to Jeddah.
The witness said this while testifying before the Accountability Court in the Avenfield reference. He was replying to defence counsel Khawaj Haris, who had asked if it was correct that as per the contents of the letter of credit (LC) received by the Joint investigation team (JIT) under mutual legal assistance (MLA) from Ministry of Justice, the UAE, scrap machinery of Ahli Steel Mill was transported from Sharjah to Jeddah.
Haris said that as per the LC, it was not scrap machinery; rather, it was secondhand machinery. To this, Zia said that it is correct that it was secondhand rolling mills equipment in a dismantled form.
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Muhammad Safdar (retd) were present in the court when Zia was testifying before the court.
The defence counsel also asked Zia if the JIT had sent any MLA request to authorities of Dubai if there was any record available regarding the transportation of scrap. Zia said that the JIT did not send any MLA request regarding this matter.
At the outset of the hearing, Zia while replying to a question of defense counsel said that this is correct that JIT had gone through all applications and replies filed after the Supreme Court assigned it the task of investigation.
He further said that one of these replies was a certificate sent by Jeremy Freeman regarding the two trust deeds of Nescoll and Nielsen.
Zia also said that he came across through the certificate issued by Freeman about declaration of trust. In this certificate, Freeman confirmed the two trust deeds and the signature of Hussain Nawaz on it. "It is correct that the certificate was signed by Hussain Nawaz on February 4, 2006 and witnessed by Freeman," Zia said. He further said that one of the trust deeds was related to shares in Komber and another was related to Nescoll and Nielson.
Replying to another query of defense counsel, he said, "It also came to my notice that each copy of trust deeds was available in the office of Freeman." When the defense counsel asked Zia if the JIT had written any letter to Freeman for confirmation of trust deeds, Zia said that JIT wrote a letter to Quist Solicitor to correspond with Freeman.
Zia said that JIT did not write any letter directly to Freeman but Quist Solicitor, on behalf of JIT, wrote a letter to Freeman. The JIT had decided that it would not correspond directly with Freeman and hired Solicitor for corresponding with him, he said. Zia said the JIT had sent a questionnaire to Quist Solicitor and it forwarded it to Freeman. He added that the questionnaire was sent to Quist Solicitor with consensus.
Haris asked Zia when Gulf Steel Mill was set up in Dubai. "As per our investigations based on documents provided, Gulf Steel Mill was set up in Dubai in 1978." When Haris asked Zia if the contents of the share sale contract are correct, Zia said that the JIT did not get verified the authenticity of share sale contract of 1978 of Gulf Steel Mill. He added that the JIT assumed that the contents of share sale agreement were correct.
Haris told Zia that Ahli Steel Mill was step up on April 4, 1980. "Did you contact Ahli Mill's owner?" he further asked. Zia replied that JIT did not contact Ahli regarding the 1980 agreement. Responding to a question, Zia said the JIT did not contact the witnesses of the 1980 agreement, including Abdul Wahid, but it tried to contact the second witness, Muhammad Ikram, but he was not located.
Zia said it is correct that the 1980 agreement was notarized by Pakistan Embassy consular attache and the JIT did not contact the counselor attaché who had attested the document. He said the JIT also did not visit the office of the Ministry of Foreign affairs, UAE, for verification of its stamp on the 1980 agreement. The defence counsel will continue cross-examination of Zia on next hearing on April 2.