Except NAB, no institution liaised with probe, reveals Broadsheet commission report

According to the initial details with GNN, the reports says that all institutions except NAB were found to have repelled cooperating with the investigation.

The commission has also identified in its report that Broadsheet's records were missing from nearly everywhere, including the Pakistan mission in London.

According to the report, the asset recovery deal made with Broadsheet makes evident the government institutions' failure to follow international laws.

It said that the bureaucracy made every attempt to ‘hide records or make them disappear’, in moves that were in many instances ‘transcontinental’.

The report states that Broadsheet CEO Kaveh Moussavi levelled allegations against certain individuals but probing this matter did not fall under the terms of reference defined for the commission.

Further, the report throws weight on the government that it may probe the Broadsheet CEO's allegations if it wishes to. 

The report also includes a note from Justice (Retd) Azmat Saeed in which he said that while writing the report at the bottom of Margalla Hills, there was also the presence of wolves however they couldn’t stop him from working.

Earlier, The federal government has issued notification of Justice (Retd.) Azmat Saeed as head of Broadsheet inquiry commission. The notification was issued by the cabinet division on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The government had also issued term of references (TORs) according to which, the commission will evaluate the process of selection and appointment of assets recovery firms including Trouvons LLC, Broadsheet LLC and International Asset Recovery Limited (‘IAR’), and execution of agreements in the year 2000 to trace the offshore assets of Pakistanis stashed abroad.

It will also investigate the circumstances, causes and impacts of the cancellation of agreements with Broadsheet LLC and IAR in the year 2003.

The commission will also identify the people responsible for making the wrong payment of $1.5 million to the wrong person in the year 2008 who was not entitled to receive such payment?

On January 27, the federal cabinet had agreed to form a five-member inquiry commission, headed by Justice (Retd.) Azmat Saeed Sheikh to probe the broadsheet scandal.

It is pertinent to mention here that the opposition parties have rejected the appointment of Justice (Retd), Azmat Saeed, as the head of inquiry saying that he has served on the positions of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Prosecutor and Board of Governors of Shaukat Khanum. Besides, he was among the judges who pronounced former premier Nawaz Sharif's Panama case verdict.

The scope of investigation in the Broadsheet case has been widened. According to details, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) attached two financial crime experts with the Commission for assistance.

Assistant Directors Amanullah and Ahsan Ali Bajwa were appointed to provide support in the Broadsheet case and other related international cases.

Earlier, the government for investigating the assets of Pakistanis living abroad had contracted with the Broadsheet firm but despite being paid a hefty fee, the required details of the assets were not obtained.

It may be recalled that the opposition parties had rejected the appointment of Justice (Retd), Azmat Saeed, as the head of the commission to probe the Broadsheet scandal. Opposition leaders said that Justice Azmat Saeed had been a NAB prosecutor while he was also a member of the Board of Governors of Shaukat Khanum. Besides, he was also one of the judges who had decided on the infamous Panama case.

More to follow……..