LONDON: Houses and flats worth tens of millions of pounds in London, could be seized by the Pakistani government following claims that they were brought with the proceeds of corruption linked to deposed Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif. Following an investigation, it was found last week that his son Hassan controlled or owned at least 15 flats, houses, and offices in Britain, despite having “no declared source of income”.
Hassan, 41, said the allegations are part of a conspiracy against his father. A Joint Investigation Team in Pakistan found that he had founded a number of companies in London with an accumulated loss of over £10 million, all while building “an empire of real estate in the UK”. Investigators said they believe that “the build-up of assets was through irregular means and Hassan Nawaz was used as a proxy to build up family assets. It is a reasonable assumption that more properties in the UK have been held by Hassan in his name or in the name of his companies or in the name of his family members.”
The investigation will focus on three Mayfair flats owned by the family, including Hassan's home address. Also part of the probe are Sharif's other son Hussain, and daughter Maryam. Sharif's involvement is relatively minor and not strictly corruption. He is alleged to have received £2,000 from his son Hassan's Dubai-based company which he failed to declare, a disqualifying offence under the constitution. He, however, claims he never received the money. The deposed PM said, "How can I file a tax return on a salary I never received?"
Following months of court hearings and an investigation, the Supreme Court concluded in July that Sharif and his children could not justify the means to buy the expensive properties they owned in London.
