ISLAMABAD: Just a day before the hearing of the Panamagate case, the legal team of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has brought a series of emails exchanged between Mossack Fonseca and Minerva Trust & Corporation Services Limited apparently proving that the prime minister’s daughter Maryam Safdar was the beneficial owner of Nescoll and Nielson companies before 2006.
During the course of a previous hearing, a larger bench headed by then chief justice of Pakistan Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali had asked the PTI’s legal team to establish the connection of the premier’s children with Nescoll and Nielson before 2006. On the other hand, it is also pertinent to mention here that Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, the successor of Anwar Zaheer Jamali, has constituted a five judge larger bench with two new members which will take up the Panamagate hearing on Wednesday (today) from the start.
The recent document submitted by PTI is the first document so far produced before a reconstituted five judge larger bench. Naeem Bukhari, who is heading the legal team of PTI in the Panamagate scam on Tuesday submitted the copies of emails exchanged between Mossack and Minerva Trust & Corporation Services Limited, the administrators of Nielson and Nescoll companies, along with replies to the Financial Investigation Agency (FIA) of the British Virgin Islands by Mossack Fonsecka.
The document claimed that the series of emails collectively reaffirms and establishes that contrary to the stance of Maryam Safdar before the top court in previous hearings, she is and has been the beneficial owner of Nielsen and Nescoll and the Mayfair flats.
The document further claimed that any purported Trust Deed in relation to Nescoll and Nielson is fabricated to wriggle out of the allegations in the petition filed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The document includes the emails between Mossack Fonsecka and Minerva to obtain specific information required by Mossack to respond the queries of Financial Investigation Agency (FIA) of the British Virgin Islands. According to documents, Mossack on 14 May 2012 received a letter from the FIA which was then forwarded internally for action within Mossack on the instructions of its Managing Director (MD) by the Compliance Department of Mossack.
To entertain the queries, head of Compliance Department emailed Minerva for the information required as part of ‘internal audit.’ The Head of Compliance of Mossack requested information including name, contacts details, physical address and passport copy of the ultimate beneficial owner of the companies, Nescoll and Nielson, from Minerva, the document stated. It further stated that the email also requested information about the directors and shareholders of above mentioned entities along with the name of any trustee connected with these entities.
Michael Rossiter from Minerva, the administrator of Nescoll and Nielsen, replied responding to all queries except the basic credentials of the ultimate beneficial owner, the document said. However, later through another email, Rositter confirmed to the head of compliance of Mossack Fonsecka, saying that Nielson and Nescoll are owned by the beneficial owner Maryam Safdar, the document further stated.
According to document, the email of Rossiter had a KYC (Know Your Client) attached with details of the ultimate beneficial owner of the two entities. KYC details of the beneficial owner of Nescoll and Nielson shows that in the column seeking information about ‘Source of Wealth’ of Maryam Safdar, the response is the family’s wealth and business which spreads over 60 years.
“The KYC document also includes a passport copy of Maryam Safdar and a letter of reference from Samba Financial Group dated 3 December 2005 addressed to Minerva Financial Services Limited which also establishes that Maryam Safdar was employing the services of Minerva Financial Services Limited even in 2005 in the same context and hence was the beneficial owner of the Mayfair apartments even in 2005,” the document emphasised.
The documents included emails and submitted by PTI further stated that there is no trust connected to the Nescoll and Nielson. “The Trust Deed being relied upon before top court is therefore fabricated and false,” the document said.
