Dubai-based law firm confirms documents showing PM’s employment status as ‘legal’

A Dubai-based law firm has verified employment documents submitted to the Supreme Court by the Joint Investigation Team [JIT] in the Panamagate probe, Khaleej Times reported.

The law firm, Khalifa bin Huwaidan Advocates confirmed being consulted by the JIT, adding that documents implying Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was employed by Capital FZE in Jebel Ali Freezon [JAFZA] in Dubai until 2014 “were 100 per cent legal”.

No evidence of corruption found against PM in JIT investigation, counsel argues in SC
Speaking to the newspaper, Khalifa bin Huwaidan, lawyer and legal advisor at the firm, said “normally businessmen establish companies in Dubai if they want to maintain a visa status in the company but in this case, (Nawaz Sharif) was an employee in a Jafza-based firm.”

He said the law firm had submitted its report to the Supreme Court on Monday. “The legal opinion has been readied based on the UAE labour laws,” he added.

On Tuesday, the premiere’s counsel accepted that his client was issued an Iqama [residence permit] by the UAE government for being the chairman of the board of Capital FZE, an offshore firm exposed by the six-member Joint Investigation Team [JIT] tasked to probe the Sharif family’s offshore wealth.

“Hassan Nawaz [PM’s son] was the owner of Capital FZE and PM Nawaz was only designated as Chairman of the Board of this offshore company but he did not receive any salary,” Khawaja Haris told the apex court’s three-judge bench in response to a query during the ongoing hearing of the Panamagate case.

In his arguments, the counsel contended that the high-powered inquiry panel did not confront the prime minister regarding the documents of his employment in the Dubai-based firm. Upon this, the top court bench told Haris that he may give an explanation before the court if the investigative body did not give an opportunity to PM Nawaz for clarifying his position in the matter.

Source: The Express Tribune