Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz has said that is a good thing that the Broadsheet LLC scandal has become so popular, adding that the “Broadsheet is same an issue as was Panama Leaks”.
Stressing that the commission convened to investigate the issue would soon “expose those involved in corruption because it is the duty of the government” during a press conference, the minister emphasised that the incumbent government had nothing to do with this scandal.
He then added: “It is our responsibility to conduct transparent inquiry into this scandal.”
Moreover, Faraz announced that the commission would comprise of only former Supreme Court (SC) judge Azmat Saeed Sheikh. Previously, he had stated that the commission would include one representative each from the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Office and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Faraz said that the committee would now be a commission constituted under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 2017.
The minister said that the objective of the one-member commission was to look at every aspect and “expose the people for whom this [Broadsheet] contract was signed”. He did not provide a reason for the change in the inquiry body’s composition.
“The time has come for everyone to find out who played what role in the economic ruin of the country [and] the network of debts that was laid,” he said, adding that all such alleged corrupt practices would become apparent in 45 days after the commission completes its probe.
It is pertinent to note that the opposition had protested the appointment of Shiekh as head of the committee prior to this announcement. The opposition parties have claimed that, as the former deputy prosecutor general of the anti-graft body, Shiekh was unacceptable in this role.
During the conference, Faraz also expressed regret over the fact that the country had adopted a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) culture and many corrupt elements had been allowed to go off scot-free.
“The National Reconciliation Ordinance compromised Pakistan’s moral values,” he said, adding people now living in a culture where committing huge corruption is not considered wrong at all, and those who don’t corrupt themselves are considered losers.
He said that the NRO has always “pushed the country backwards,” because whenever the rulers of this country were charged with corruption, they saved themselves by using the NRO.”
Separately, the federal cabinet approved the formation of an investigative commission to probe the relationship between a UK-based asset recovery firm and the successive governments of Pakistan today.
In 2000, Broadsheet LLC — a company registered in the Isle of Man, tax heaven in the UK, and engaged by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) — helped the government and the newly-established accountability agency track down foreign assets of some 150 Pakistan nationals, including members of the Sharif family, acquired through ill-gotten wealth.
The agreement was terminated by the bureau in 2003, after which Broadsheet filed a claim with the High Court of Justice, London against Pakistan, seeking the award of $28.7 million.
The federal government subsequently paid the amount on December 31.
On January 20, the federal cabinet formed a three-member committee to investigate within 45 days the “revelations” of the scandal and fix responsibility on those who purportedly benefited themselves and laundered money to offshore bank accounts.
