Pakistan PM’s family rejects findings in corruption probe
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The daughter of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, is escorted by security as she arrives to appear before an anti-corruption commission
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family and allies have rejected a damaging report by a judicial body investigating the Pakistani premier’s assets.
They dismissed as “trash” allegations that the Sharif family has accumulated wealth far above its earnings.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), set up by the Supreme Court to investigate corruption claims that surfaced following the Panama Papers leak, spent two months probing the Sharif family’s wealth and gave its finding to the court on Monday.
The probe has spooked investors in Pakistan’s equity market, with the country’s benchmark index in retreat since June over fears Sharif’s removal would plunge Pakistan back into chaos after years of relative stability.
While the report was not made public immediately, leaked pages were circulated on social media and opposition leader Imran Khan demanded Sharif resign following the findings, which also levelled allegations against his daughter and sons.
“JIT report rejected. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC,” tweeted Maryan Nawaz Sharif, the premier's daughter, referring to Pakistan's Supreme Court.
The report alleges Sharif’s businesses alone are not enough to explain the family’s wealth, which includes flats in an upscale London borough.
It also recommended the National Accountancy Bureau (NAB), an anti-corruption agency, file a case against Sharif, according to Dawn newspaper and other Pakistani media.
EA
