Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be questioned on Thursday by investigators probing how his family obtained its vast wealth, the first time a sitting Pakistani premier has appeared before any investigative agency.
Sharif’s office on Monday confirmed the prime minister had received a summons by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), set up by the Supreme Court to investigate corruption claims that surfaced following the Panama Papers leak. It said he would be attending an interview on Thursday.
In April, the Supreme Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to remove Sharif from office on the back of Panama Papers leaks, but it ordered further investigations.
The JIT team comprises members of civilian agencies, such as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), as well as members of powerful military bodies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
According to the summons document, seen by Reuters, JIT asked the Prime Minister’s office to bring “all relevant record/documents/material” to the interview at its office in the capital, Islamabad on Thursday.
If Sharif survives the JIT probe, opinion polls suggest he is favorite to win the next election, due by June 2018. Sharif, a three-time prime minister, was ousted twice in the 1990s, including by a military coup in 1999, but he swept back to power in an election in 2013.
