28 December 2018
During the past five decades the top political leaders of Pakistan were corrupt.
Last week a Pakistan anti-corruption court jailed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for seven years on graft charges. He was not able to prove the source of income for his ownership of a steel mill in Saudi Arabia. He was sentenced in July to 10 years in prison by the same court, on charges related to the purchase of upscale apartments in London. The Supreme Court disqualified from holding office in July 2017, after revelations about his family’s finances appeared in the Panama Papers. He was released in September pending an appeal.
Mr Sharif was once a favourite of Pakistan’s powerful generals but fell out with them after a clash. The military denied exerting any influence over the court proceedings. The Telegraph reported.
His daughter Maryam was jailed for a different corruption case in July. Her husband, Muhammad Safdar was also found guilty. All three were barred from engaging in politics for 10 years and four properties in London were ordered to be confiscated by the Pakistani state, according to the July verdict. CNN reported.
His two sons, who are currently living in London, were declared absconders by the court.
Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur were among 172 people involved in cases of money laundering and use of fake bank accounts.
Imran Khan, who came to power in July on an anti-corruption ticket has vowed to end rampant corruption and recover billions syphoned from the country as the country scrambles to shore up deteriorating finances and fast-depleting foreign exchange reserves.
