Pakistan ยท Panama Papers
Maryam Nawaz: offshore leaks and what happened next
Cleared The Islamabad High Court acquitted Maryam Nawaz in the Avenfield reference on 29 September 2022.3,4
Being named in a leak is not evidence of wrongdoing, and owning an offshore company can be legal. Each record sets out what was reported, the person's response, and what official action, if any, followed.
What was reported
ICIJ reported that the children of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif owned London real estate through companies created by Mossack Fonseca. Al Jazeera reported that the documents showed Hussain, Hasan and Maryam Sharif owned at least three British Virgin Islands companies.1,2
Response
No response from Maryam Nawaz at the time of the leak was found in the sources reviewed.
What happened afterwards
- Investigation opened, Supreme Court of PakistanThe Supreme Court referred Nawaz Sharif and three of his children to an accountability court for corruption cases, Al Jazeera reported.2
- Convicted, Accountability Court, IslamabadThe accountability court sentenced her to seven years for abetment and one year for non-cooperation with the National Accountability Bureau in the Avenfield reference, to run concurrently, Gulf News reported.3
- Acquitted, Islamabad High CourtA division bench acquitted her and her husband Muhammad Safdar Awan in the Avenfield reference, finding that the National Accountability Bureau failed to establish her role in buying the London properties, Gulf News reported. Arab News also reported the acquittal. She said this is how lies come to an end, Arab News reported.3,4
Sources
- ICIJ, Giant Leak of Offshore Financial Records Exposes Global Array of Crime and Corruption (3 April 2016)
- Al Jazeera, Pakistan Supreme Court disqualifies Nawaz Sharif (28 July 2017)
- Gulf News, Pakistani court acquits ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's daughter in corruption case (29 September 2022)
- Arab News Pakistan, Pakistani former prime minister's daughter acquitted in 'Avenfield Reference' (29 September 2022)