Nawaz Sharif Jailed in Corruption Case. Can PM Modi be Jailed?
India’s PM Narendra Modi is also facing a number of corruption cases, including the Rafale scam which is stated be the biggest fraud in the world.
By Rakesh Raman
Former Pakistan Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif was sentenced today to 7 years’ imprisonment by an anti-corruption court. While he was found guilty in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills graft case, the court acquitted him in the Panama Papers corruption case.
Reports suggest that Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik, who had reserved the verdict in the two cases against the Sharif family last week, announced the decision in the presence of Sharif. The judge said there was enough evidence against Sharif in the Al-Azizia case and he could not provide money trail in the case.
Earlier Sharif was disqualified by Pakistan’s apex court in the Panama Papers case. The National Accountability Bureau of Pakistan had launched three cases against Sharif – Avenfield Properties case, Flagship Investment case, and Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.
[ Appropriate Legal System Needed to Combat Corruption: Ulla Tørnæs ]
In the Avenfield Properties corruption case (related to the purchase of four luxury flats in London) Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar were sentenced to 11, 8, and 1 year jail term respectively. However, all three of them were bailed out by the Islamabad High Court in September.
Corruption in India
India’s PM Narendra Modi is also facing a number of corruption cases, including the Rafale scam which is stated be the biggest fraud in the world.
[ Rafale Case: If PM Modi Is a Thief, Why Is He Not in Jail? ]
Now it is expected that the Supreme Court of India will take a lesson from Pakistan courts and judges to take a similar action against the rampant corruption in Modi government.
In a controversial decision, the Supreme Court of India had dismissed the petitions in the Rafale corruption case in which PM Modi is an accused. However, it is believed that the government has recently filed a fresh affidavit because of some language goof-ups in its earlier application.
Moreover, the opposition parties in India are demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe to investigate the Rafale deal.
An online petition on public petition site Change.org seeks people’s support for JPC to investigate the Rafale fighter aircraft deal that Modi government has signed.
The petition says that Modi’s friend Anil Ambani, whose group has consolidated debt in excess of Rs. 45,000 crore (over $6 billion) was a made a beneficiary of the “Off Set” clauses worth Rs. 30,000 crore that are part of the deal.
According to the petition, the total benefit to Anil Ambani’s, Reliance Defence is Rs. 130,000 crore (about $20 billion) – which makes it the biggest fraud in the world.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
