pakistans top court orders pm be investigated for corruption
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Pakistan's top court orders PM be investigated for corruption

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Pakistan's top court orders PM be investigated for corruption

File Photo: Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. (Reuters)
Lahore - Arab today

Pakistan's top court ordered the prime minister be investigated for corruption Thursday, in a highly anticipated decision that granted Nawaz Sharif a temporary reprieve as judges said there was insufficient evidence to oust him from power.

 

Sharif and his children had been accused of graft in an ongoing case that had threatened to topple the prime minister and captivated Pakistan after the Panama Papers leak last year linked the family to offshore business.

The Supreme Court issued a split ruling calling for a joint investigation team of anti-corruption officials along with the powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence to probe the claims.

"A thorough investigation is required," Justice Asif Saeed Khosa told the court, announcing the decision.

Two of the five judges went further, branding Sharif "dishonest" and saying he should be disqualified, but they were outnumbered.

The court has disqualified leaders before, holding former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in contempt in 2012 for refusing to re-open corruption investigations into then president Asif Ali Zardari, resulting in his disqualification.

"We respect the court verdict... It will be implemented in all its spirit," government Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique said immediately after the verdict.

Around 1,500 police commandos and riot forces had been deployed around the court in Islamabad ahead of the highly anticipated decision. Dozens of baton-wielding police were also seen along some roads leading into the capital.

The controversy could mean turmoil for Sharif's governing party ahead of general elections that must be held by the end of next year, and as security and the economy improve in the militancy-plagued country.

It erupted with the publication of 11.5 million secret documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca last year which documented the offshore dealings of many of the world's rich and powerful.

Among the global elite implicated were three of Sharif's four children -- his daughter and presumptive political heir Maryam, and his sons Hasan and Hussein.

At the heart of the matter is the legitimacy of the funds used by the Sharif family to purchase several high-end London properties via offshore companies.

Sharif's ruling PML-N party insists the wealth was acquired legally through family businesses in Pakistan and the Gulf.

But lawyers for Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party, argue the paper trail for the funds is non-existent, and say the onus is on Sharif to prove his relatives did not engage in money laundering.

 

"The nation is expecting some sort of judgement which will change the course of history in Pakistan," senior Supreme Court lawyer S.M. Zafar told AFP prior to the ruling.

Regardless of the outcome, he said, the case was important for Pakistan, which ranked a lowly 116th out of 176 countries in a corruption index released by Transparency International in January.

Political analyst Rasul Buksh Rais said: "It's going to be (a) historic decision that will push Pakistan into electoral mood in either case".

"Whether the court convicts him or not today it spells trouble and the prime minister will be weakened," added Herald newspaper editor Badar Alam.

The controversy is the latest to hit Sharif, an industrialist serving his third term as prime minister after the first two were interrupted by interventions from the country's powerful military.

Late Wednesday he detailed his party's infrastructure achievements in televised comments at the inauguration of a power plant, without mentioning the looming verdict.

Pakistan, which marks its 70th anniversary of independence later this year, has seen a surge in optimism in recent months.

Security has dramatically improved in the last two years, overall confidence in the economy is growing, and the military, which has ruled the country for more than half its history, appears to have reached an accommodation with Sharif's civilian government.

Source: Ahram online  
arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

pakistans top court orders pm be investigated for corruption pakistans top court orders pm be investigated for corruption

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

pakistans top court orders pm be investigated for corruption pakistans top court orders pm be investigated for corruption

 



GMT 13:35 2017 Thursday ,09 February

Leicester fire three past Derby to progress in FA Cup

GMT 21:07 2017 Tuesday ,21 February

Abdullah El-Said recovers from his injury

GMT 08:58 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Malaysia's AirAsia denies involvement in Rolls-Royce

GMT 19:03 2017 Friday ,24 November

HM King condoles with Egyptian president

GMT 03:12 2017 Thursday ,02 March

Mexicans weigh daunting prospect of deportee camps

GMT 13:48 2017 Thursday ,30 November

Trump was 'wrong' but UK-US relations will endure

GMT 06:50 2017 Sunday ,12 November

World business leaders meet in Dubai’s forum

GMT 06:22 2018 Sunday ,07 January

Globes newcomer Timothee Chalamet shoots

GMT 10:07 2017 Wednesday ,27 December

Representatives Council denounces terrorist plot

GMT 22:51 2017 Wednesday ,20 December

ADNOC Distribution now trading on ADX under "ADNOCDIST"

GMT 23:46 2017 Monday ,18 December

ADM holds training workshop on traffic safety

GMT 01:47 2017 Sunday ,17 December

Malaysian Premier praises EDB

GMT 18:17 2017 Friday ,28 April

Trump Vows to Cooperate with other Nations
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday