ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Thursday sought details of tax and wealth returns of Jehangir Tareen’s children.
The apex court also asked whether the children were independent when the property was purchased.
The court may constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe details of PTI chief Imran Khan and Jehangir Tareen offshore companies.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard Pakistan Muslim League petition against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan and General Secretary Jehangir Tareen for having offshore companies.
Chief Justice Nisar though did not take the name of JIT but said: “Even though this is the original proceeding case under Article 184(3) which is of inquisitorial nature. We don’t know whether we require further information about the properties of the respondents in this case.”
The court directed Sikandar Bashir to file the documents of Tareen’s offshore company in 10 days.
The chief justice remarked if the children were dependent on Tareen, then he was the beneficial owner of the offshore company.
Sikandar Bashir, representing Jehangir Tareen, submitted the bank statements of money that Tareen sent to his children – three daughters – Mehra Khan, Sher Khan, Mariam Khan and son Ali Tareen Khan – as a gift.
Sikandar said Tareen is the settler of the Trust, while the children were the beneficial owner of the company – Shiny View Limited, which was incorporated with British Virgin Island. He said that the company shares were held by EFG Nominee Limited, it is Jersey Company. The asset of Shiny View Limited is a flat located in Berkshire.
The petitioner’s counsel said it seemed that the UK property was owned by Tareen and his children were the benamidar. He said that Jehangir has not declared the property in his nomination papers.
The court noted that Tareen made the down payment and then the flat was mortgaged. The chief justice asked the counsel that he should have mentioned about the UK flat in his response. The court observed that Tareen gifted money to his children in Pakistani rupee and they converted that into foreign currency. Sikandar informed the court that Tareen sent a total of UK Pound 3.5 million and $1 million to his children. Justice Faisal Arab inquired from Tareen’s counsel when the children received money from their father and property was purchased, whether they were major/mature at that time and had filed the tax returns?
The chief justice said that they have noticed that not only Tareen sent money to his children as a gift from Pakistan, but has also received a huge sum from his children as a gift. Justice Faisal Arab said there were 1,100 parliamentarians and have assets or run businesses and any member bring cases against anyone under Article 62 and 63 of Constitution stating that there were discrepancies in the nomination papers and the income tax return, then shall we entertain his application?
Akram Sheikh, representing Hanif Abbasi, said this case pertains to Jehangir Tareen whose gardener and cook owned shares of Rs70 million.
The case is adjourned for an indefinite period.