ISLAMABAD - Jamaat-e-Islami chief Siraj-ul-Haq on Friday filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking early hearing of his petition he had filed against all those Pakistanis whose names appeared in Panama Papers.
The JI chief said the petition was filed for the larger interest to bring back the (looted) money. The delay in placing the petition for hearing would facilitate owners of the offshore companies to further camouflage their income sources and money. The JI chief has requested the court to fix the petition for hearing preferably on November 8.
In April, Panama Leaks scandal shook the world. Its leaked reports contained names of 400 Pakistanis including businessmen and politicians particularly family members of former premier Nawaz Sharif, having offshore companies.
Haq on August 24 filed the petition in the Supreme Court requesting the apex court to initiate an inquiry into the Panama Leaks scandal and issue arrest order of all those who have illegally transferred money from Pakistan for establishing offshore companies.
A five-member bench kept his main petition pending and allowed him to file another petition specifically against former PM Sharif and his family, which was adjudicated on July 28.
The JI chief in that petition had made the Federation through the Ministry Parliamentary Affairs, secretaries Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Finance and Cabinet Division and the National Accountability chairman as respondents.
Haq had prayed the court that the respondents should be directed to initiate inquiry followed by trial proceedings and a direction be issued to them to arrest the culprits to recover and bring back the public money.
He had contended that the Panama Leaks divulged that the offshore companies were established by illegal transferring of public money/funds from Pakistan, which has allegedly been originated from corruption, corrupt practices and commissions or kickbacks.
“The transferring of national wealth illegally to establish the offshore companies is an offence under the section 9 of NAO and NAB authorities/chairman has powers to take cognizance of the said offence. The owners, who made illegal investments in the offshore companies must be tried under the “Commission of Inquiry” and its trial should be conducted under the laws of Pakistan. Non-action and slackness on the part of the government agencies are subject to the judicial review by this august court,” the petition said.
The JI chief had demanded that the government and agencies including the NAB should be directed to take every possible legal step to bring back country’s money from abroad.
He said, “if the Panama Leaks matter was not investigated and the culprits, responsible for the financial crisis in the country, are not arrested and the public money is not brought back, it will cause an irreparable loss and harm democracy, and if democracy is destroyed, it will result in a disaster”.