Panamagate JIT summons Qatari prince for second time

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani Embassy in Qatar on Tuesday delivered another letter of the Joint Investigation Team to Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani.

A six-member JIT was formed in line with Supreme Court’s April 20 verdict in the Panamagate case to probe Sharif family’s offshore properties.

The probe body has sent its second letter to the Qatari prince in a sealed envelope, sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune. “It was delivered on Tuesday,” the sources added. Qatari Prince Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al Thani had come to the rescue of the ruling family during the Panamagate case hearing in the apex court. The first letter had been delivered to the Qatari prince on May 18 wherein he was asked to record his statement. Prince Jassim al Thani had reportedly responded saying he was willing to record his statement through a video link.

However, after the top court on Monday asked the JIT to disregard the Qatari prince’s letter if he did not appear in person before them, the investigating body sent him another letter requesting him to personally appear to record his statement. “The respondents [Sharif family] will have to face the consequences if the Qatari prince fails to appear before the JIT,” the apex court’s three-judge bench observed.

Meanwhile, Saifur Rehman, a close aide of the Sharif family and the chairman of the defunct Ehtesab Bureau, is stationed in Qatar and has been reportedly tasked with helping the Sharifs with regard to the ongoing investigation.

The Sharif family has also engaged its trusted legal aide and former attorney general of Pakistan Salman Aslam Butt to manage the affairs related to the involvement of the Qatari prince in the case.

Source: The Express Tribune