Ejaz Afzal Khan – who had headed the apex court's implementation bench following its April 20 order in the Panama Papers case – has said that Nawaz Sharif should be allowed to contest elections.
"If a rape convict is able to contest polls after three years, why can't Nawaz Sharif," the former judge was quoted as saying during an interview with a private news channel.
He recalled that the JIT report's volume 10 had details of Sharif family's offshore dealings, but there was nothing anti-state.
Khan pointed out that then SECP chairman disclosed the names of the JIT members to the then regime, which the former judge said led him to question his impartiality in the case.
He further said that Justices Khosa and Gulzar declared Nawaz guilty in their first Panama decision, and found him at fault for his speech at the National Assembly, and the Qatari letter.
'The matter could have been reviewed had it been stated that he [Nawaz] forgot to declare the salary in the nomination papers for the 2013 election,' he said.
According to the ex-judge, the Qatari letter couldn't be proved. 'It unfolded when the JIT got access to the original document. Then came the Iqama which showed Nawaz as the BoD chairman at a salary of Dhs10,000 monthly.
"This salary went into his account from 2006 to 2013 and this was admitted by his counsels. If it didn't belong to him, how did he repay millions of dirhams to his son?"
"We maintained that he had been receiving a salary for the past six and a half years. As per law, assets until June-last need to be declared."
"If others can be sentenced for concealing assets, why can't Nawaz be sentenced; if a rape convict can contest elections, why can't he?"
The former justice made it clear that he was 'against anyone's lifetime disqualification'.
"If a rape convict is able to contest polls after three years, why can't Nawaz Sharif," the former judge was quoted as saying during an interview with a private news channel.
He recalled that the JIT report's volume 10 had details of Sharif family's offshore dealings, but there was nothing anti-state.
Khan pointed out that then SECP chairman disclosed the names of the JIT members to the then regime, which the former judge said led him to question his impartiality in the case.
He further said that Justices Khosa and Gulzar declared Nawaz guilty in their first Panama decision, and found him at fault for his speech at the National Assembly, and the Qatari letter.
'The matter could have been reviewed had it been stated that he [Nawaz] forgot to declare the salary in the nomination papers for the 2013 election,' he said.
According to the ex-judge, the Qatari letter couldn't be proved. 'It unfolded when the JIT got access to the original document. Then came the Iqama which showed Nawaz as the BoD chairman at a salary of Dhs10,000 monthly.
"This salary went into his account from 2006 to 2013 and this was admitted by his counsels. If it didn't belong to him, how did he repay millions of dirhams to his son?"
"We maintained that he had been receiving a salary for the past six and a half years. As per law, assets until June-last need to be declared."
"If others can be sentenced for concealing assets, why can't Nawaz be sentenced; if a rape convict can contest elections, why can't he?"
The former justice made it clear that he was 'against anyone's lifetime disqualification'.