LAHORE: PPP Senator Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan said on Monday the Qatari letters presented in the Panama case proceedings by the Sharif family were in fact the confession of money laundering.

Talking to reporters at the Lahore High Court, he said the letters could not be the evidence for money trail unless banking transactions were presented before the SC. He said the letter of Qatari prince could not be the proof of the late Mian Sharif’s business.

He said it was surprising that the Sharifs had been exchanging gifts of billions of rupees among each other.

He said the onus to prove legal transfer of money was on the Sharif family. “Getting off scot-free for Nawaz Sharif is not very easy.”

Mr Ahsan was of the view that reliance on Qatari letters would open the floodgates to money launderers in the country.

To a query, he said observations of the court in the Panama case so far reflected a lenient view towards the Sharif family. He alleged that the Supreme Court had been extending favours to the Sharif family and especially Nawaz Sharif in the past. He pointed out that the Supreme Court had condoned delay of 10 years in Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against conviction in the helicopter reference.

However, Barrister Ahsan hoped that the court would dispense justice and would not accept billions of rupees cash based business of the Sharifs. He hoped that the court would not make a decision that could lead to ‘monetary anarchy’ in the country.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2017