Chairman Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Zafar Hijazi, tampered records of companies owned by Sharif family, a latest Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) inquiry report suggests.
The report submitted by the FIA in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday backs the stance taken by JIT members, that are probing Panama Leaks allegations of building offshore companies against the Prime Minister and his family. The reports also recommended filing a First Information Report (FIR) against Zafar Hijazi who tampered SECP record to benefit Sharif Family in the Panama Leaks case.
The FIA, in its report, says SECP Chairman Zafar Hijazi passed illegal orders and pressured his subordinates for the illegal act of record tampering.
The JIT, probing the Prime Minister’s assets abroad, told the SC that government institutions are uncooperative; they have been reluctant to show some require document for the investigation. JIT also accused SECP of tampering records related to Sharif family.
Read more: SECP under scrutiny, Panama JIT approaching its climax.
On June 19, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court – headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan – had directed the FIA director general to launch an inquiry into the allegations by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that the SECP had tampered with the records of the Sharifs’ companies.
The FIA, in its report, says SECP Chairman Zafar Hijazi passed illegal orders and pressured his subordinates for the illegal act of record tampering. Some senior officials of the SECP are considering filing their statements before the apex court. Sources suggest that the SECP chairman may also file his statement before the Supreme Court.
However, the incumbent SECP chairman insists that he is not involved in all this but those officials who signed the backdated document allege that they did it following the chairman’s pressure.