The Panama Papers controversy is back in the news almost eight years after the shocking disclosures they revealed rocked Pakistan's political establishment.

On June 9, the Supreme Court is anticipated to hear a plea from Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) asking for instructions about 436 people who are accused of hiding their assets in offshore corporations.

The two-judge panel, which also includes Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, will be presided over by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, as reported by the Dawn

It may be recalled that a final decision in the Panama Papers leak case is already in the field.

JI reminded the court of its unresolved appeal, which was submitted by party emir Sirajul Haq in August 2016, through an application on November 3, 2017.

However, this case was segregated&nbsp;because the reasons established in it were too broad by a five-judge panel presided over by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who was considering petitions against then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members for making investments in offshore firms.

However, the court guaranteed that its petition will be heard at a suitable time to the Jamaat-i-Islami.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-releases-200-indian-fishermen-languishing-in-karachi-jail-599846">Pakistan releases 200 Indian fishermen languishing in Karachi jail</a>

The petitioner contended that the court's attention was being sought in the greater national interest to save public money in the motion submitted by Advocate Muhammad Ishtiaq Ahmed Raja on behalf of Haq under Order 33 Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules 1980.

The owner of offshore firms would be able to further conceal their sources of income and money thanks to the delay in the case's fixation, he noted.

<h2>The initial petition</h2>

In his initial petition, Haq asked the court to issue an order compelling the five respondents, the federal government through the ministry of parliamentary affairs, the secretaries of law and justice, the finance and cabinet division, and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to detain all of the criminals who had invested stolen money in foreign corporations and return the public funds that had been improperly transferred to those corporations to the nation.

The JI had argued that despite Pakistan's tremendous sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, civilians, officeholders in government organisations, and government employees were funding offshore businesses through unethical and corrupt practises.

Large quantities of money had been unlawfully moved, laundered, and parked in some offshore entities, posing problems for the state.

The petition contended that these investments in offshore firms had really been made with public funds through dishonest and unlawful methods.

Also watch |&nbsp;Parvez Khattak: Took decision to quit after lot of thought&nbsp;

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It claimed that many people in public service had been investing in offshore firms while lying about it in the declaration of assets they provided to the relevant authorities.

The petition highlighted that all such public office holders should be penalised and should be disqualified from their positions. 
&nbsp;

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The Panama Papers controversy is back in the news almost eight years after the shocking disclosures they revealed rocked Pakistan's political establishment. On June 9, the Supreme Court is anticipated to hear a plea from Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) asking for instructions about 436 people who are accused of hiding their assets in offshore corporations.

The Panama Papers controversy is back in the news almost eight years after the shocking disclosures they revealed rocked Pakistan's political establishment. On June 9, the Supreme Court is anticipated to hear a plea from Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) asking for instructions about 436 people who are accused of hiding their assets in offshore corporations. The two-judge panel, which also includes Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, will be presided over by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, as reported by the Dawn It may be recalled that a final decision in the Panama Papers leak case is already in the field. JI reminded the court of its unresolved appeal, which was submitted by party emir Sirajul Haq in August 2016, through an application on November 3, 2017. However, this case was segregated because the reasons established in it were too broad by a five-judge panel presided over by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who was considering petitions against then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members for making investments in offshore firms. However, the court guaranteed that its petition will be heard at a suitable time to the Jamaat-i-Islami. Also read | Pakistan releases 200 Indian fishermen languishing in Karachi jail The petitioner contended that the court's attention was being sought in the greater national interest to save public money in the motion submitted by Advocate Muhammad Ishtiaq Ahmed Raja on behalf of Haq under Order 33 Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules 1980. The owner of offshore firms would be able to further conceal their sources of income and money thanks to the delay in the case's fixation, he noted. The initial petition In his initial petition, Haq asked the court to issue an order compelling the five respondents, the federal government through the ministry of parliamentary affairs, the secretaries of law and justice, the finance and cabinet division, and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to detain all of the criminals who had invested stolen money in foreign corporations and return the public funds that had been improperly transferred to those corporations to the nation. The JI had argued that despite Pakistan's tremendous sacrifices in the fight against terrorism, civilians, officeholders in government organisations, and government employees were funding offshore businesses through unethical and corrupt practises. Large quantities of money had been unlawfully moved, laundered, and parked in some offshore entities, posing problems for the state. The petition contended that these investments in offshore firms had really been made with public funds through dishonest and unlawful methods. Also watch | Parvez Khattak: Took decision to quit after lot of thought It claimed that many people in public service had been investing in offshore firms while lying about it in the declaration of assets they provided to the relevant authorities. The petition highlighted that all such public office holders should be penalised and should be disqualified from their positions. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Pak court revives call for legal action against everyone named in Panama Papers

Remember Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's victory speech when he promised a new era? He had said, "Whoever violates the law, we will act against them. Our state institutions will be so strong that they will stop corruption.

Remember Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's victory speech when he promised a new era? He had said, "Whoever violates the law, we will act against them. Our state institutions will be so strong that they will stop corruption. Accountability will start with me, then my ministers, and then it will go from there." What the cricketer-turned-politician will now do as the leaked documents, published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on October 3, revealed that key members of his inner circle owned an array of companies and trusts holding millions of dollars of hidden wealth. Click here for LIVE updates on Pandora papers leak The documents, dubbed as Pandora papers, revealed names of powerful and rich people, who use tax and secrecy havens to buy properties and hide assets; many avoid taxes and worse. The names include world leaders, politicians and billionaires. IN PICS | Wikileaks, oil-for-food scam to Pandora papers, major leaks revealed When it comes to Pakistan, Khan's allies, including cabinet ministers, their families and major financial backers have secretly owned an array of companies and trusts holding millions of dollars of hidden wealth. Surprisingly, the country's military leaders have been implicated as well, however, the report clearly mentions that the documents contain no suggestion that Khan himself owns offshore companies. Pandora papers and its UK connection As the country is plagued by widespread poverty and tax avoidance, Pakistanis are ranked fifth among those buying properties in London through offshore companies, reveals an analysis of the Pandora Papers documents, mentioned by Pakistan's The News. British citizens hold the first position on the list, which is followed by Nigerians, Indians and Russians. Pakistan's media outlet, a media partner of the data leak report, The News, revealed that the secret files found 681 previously anonymous beneficial owners of 1,542 UK properties purchased through 716 offshore firms. The value of these properties is estimated to be more than $5.5 billion. More than two-thirds of the properties are owned in London, with Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea being the most popular boroughs. Pandora papers: Largest leak of offshore data in history explained Check list of other high-profile Indian names King of Jordan's property empire reportedly worth over $100 million Putin's alleged mistress has assets worth $100 million The British broadcaster, BBC, another media partner of the data leak report, admits that the report's most shocking revelation is how prominent and wealthy people have been legally forming companies to buy property in the UK in secret. As the report has highlighted the UK government's failure to introduce a register of offshore property owners despite repeated promises to do so. The mention of ex-UK PM Tony Blair is also shocking for the country as the report revealed that the former PM and his wife saved £312,000 in stamp duty when they bought a London office. King of Jordan secretly amassed £70m of UK and US property. The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his close associates have secretly been involved in property deals in the UK worth more than £400m. The report also revealed that how the Aliyev family have secretly acquired UK property using offshore companies. The UK government will have to answer that how such massive wealth and dealing remained unnoticed. However, BBC reports that the UK government says it is cracking down on money laundering with tougher laws and enforcement. Also, it will introduce a register of offshore companies owning UK property when parliamentary time allows. It is important to note that the claims made in the ICIJ report need to be investigated further by official authorities to reach any conclusion. × Imran Khan's response "We welcome the Pandora Papers exposing the ill-gotten wealth of elites, accumulated through tax evasion & corruption & laundered out to financial 'havens,'" Khan said in a long Twitter thread. "My govt will investigate all our citizens mentioned in the Pandora Papers & if any wrongdoing is established we will take appropriate action. I call on the international community to treat this grave injustice as similar to the climate change crisis." Khan, who had run for office on an anti-graft platform, said that global poverty levels were fueled by corruption in tax havens, which he said divert funds away from the general public. He also slammed wealthy countries for not being "interested in preventing this large-scale plunder nor in repatriating this looted money." The "Pandora Papers" are the latest in a series of mass ICIJ leaks of financial documents, from LuxLeaks in 2014, to the 2016 Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers in 2017 and FinCen files in 2020.

UK haven for Pakistanis to avoid tax or hide assets? Pandora papers highlight UK government's failure

Nearly 12 million documents, 600 journalists, 2.94TB of confidential information and one cumulated bombshell report that has opened Pandora's box of information on secret wealth and financial dealings of the world's rich and powerful.

Nearly 12 million documents, 600 journalists, 2.94TB of confidential information and one cumulated bombshell report that has opened Pandora's box of information on secret wealth and financial dealings of the world's rich and powerful. The report, dubbed as the 'Pandora papers', claims to uncover hidden wealth, tax avoidance and also some cases of money laundering by some of the prominent people, including current and former world leaders. Click here for LIVE updates on Pandora papers leak Published by International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on October 3, millions of leaked documents were assessed and analysed by worldwide journalistic collaboration, claiming to have uncovered financial secrets of current and former world leaders, politicians and public officials in 91 countries, including India. Pandora papers: Largest leak of offshore data in history explained Check list of other high-profile Indian names King of Jordan's property empire reportedly worth over $100 million Putin's alleged mistress has assets worth $100 million British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russian President Vladimir Putin are notable names. Apart from the politicians, some other important names are Colombian singer Shakira, the German supermodel Claudia Schiffer and the Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. Here's how Sachin Tendulkar is linked to the Pandora papers: "People linked by the secret documents to offshore assets include India’s cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar, pop music diva Shakira, supermodel Claudia Schiffer and an Italian mobster known as 'Lell the Fat One'": A part of the report read. Providing further details on the same, one of the contributors — The Indian Express wrote, "Sports icon Sachin Tendulkar, for instance, asked for the liquidation of his entity in the British Virgin Islands just three months after the Panama Papers expose." The above mentioned Indian media outlet has published detail of an alleged link between Pandora papers and the cricketer. It claims Sachin and some of his family members as Beneficial Owners of an offshore entity in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) which was liquidated in 2016. × The report suggests that the investigation of records of Panama law firm Alcogal which are part of Pandora Papers, Sachin, wife Anjali Tendulkar and father-in-law Anand Mehta are named as BOs and Directors of a BVI-based company: Saas International Limited. The media outlet has mentioned Saas' reference in the Pandora records, which dates back to 2007 and also attempts to highlight the not-yet-proved discrepancies involving buyback of the shares, valuing $8.6 million. However, the ICIJ report added Tendulkar's attorney comment as he said that the cricket player's "investment is legitimate" and has been "declared to tax authorities". Sachin Tendulkar has not reacted to the Pandora papers report yet. The alleged details are a matter of further investigation, hence, it would be irrational to make claims without concrete evidence and systematic official probe. ×

Pandora papers leak: How Sachin Tendulkar, his family members are linked to report; attorney says 'investment is legitimate'

The son of Malta&#39;s best-known investigative journalist said on Tuesday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/car-bomb-kills-journalist-who-led-panama-papers-investigation-in-malta-22520" target="_blank">his mother was killed by a car bomb because of her work</a> exposing political corruption.

Daphne Caruana Galizia, who wrote about graft across Malta&#39;s political divides on her blog, was murdered on Monday soon after she left her home in the north of the island.

&quot;My mother was assassinated because she stood between the rule of law and those who sought to violate it, like many strong journalists,&quot; Matthew Caruana Galizia said on Facebook.

&quot;She was also targeted because she was the only person doing so,&quot; he added.

He described rushing to the scene after hearing the news, only to find the burning car and her remains.

The explosion, which blasted the car off the road into a field near the village of Bidnija, stunned the small Mediterranean island. Authorities said it was the first murder of a journalist there.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and opposition leader Adrian Delia - who had both been criticised on her blog - both condemned the killing. Around 3,000 people held a silent, candle-lit vigil on Monday night in Sliema, just outside the capital Valletta.

&quot;Today, this is undoubtedly a dark and sad, sad, sad, sad day for Malta,&quot; said family friend Luke Frendo.

&quot;I think Daphne was not only a journalist and an absolutely fearless human being but the fourth pillar of our democracy,&quot; Frendo told Reuters Television.

Maltese authorities were awaiting the arrival of Dutch forensic experts and American FBI agents on Tuesday to help the investigations.

A tent was erected over her burnt-out car and sheets placed over her remains.

&quot;Everyone knows Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of mine, both politically and personally, but nobody can justify this barbaric act in any way,&quot; said Prime Minister Muscat, who had been suing her over some of her allegations.

Opposition leader Adrian Delia called her killing an attack on democracy and freedom of expression and demanded an independent inquiry.

&quot;We will not accept an investigation by the Commissioner of Police, the Army commander or the duty magistrate, all of whom were criticised by Caruana Galizia,&quot; he said on Monday.

Half an hour before the explosion tore into her car, Galizia wrote on her blog: &quot;There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.&quot;

Matthew Caruana Galizia said on Facebook that she (Daphne Caruana Galizia) was also targeted because she was the only person doing so

The son of Malta's best-known investigative journalist said on Tuesday his mother was killed by a car bomb because of her work exposing political corruption. Daphne Caruana Galizia, who wrote about graft across Malta's political divides on her blog, was murdered on Monday soon after she left her home in the north of the island. "My mother was assassinated because she stood between the rule of law and those who sought to violate it, like many strong journalists," Matthew Caruana Galizia said on Facebook. "She was also targeted because she was the only person doing so," he added. He described rushing to the scene after hearing the news, only to find the burning car and her remains. The explosion, which blasted the car off the road into a field near the village of Bidnija, stunned the small Mediterranean island. Authorities said it was the first murder of a journalist there. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and opposition leader Adrian Delia - who had both been criticised on her blog - both condemned the killing. Around 3,000 people held a silent, candle-lit vigil on Monday night in Sliema, just outside the capital Valletta. "Today, this is undoubtedly a dark and sad, sad, sad, sad day for Malta," said family friend Luke Frendo. "I think Daphne was not only a journalist and an absolutely fearless human being but the fourth pillar of our democracy," Frendo told Reuters Television. Maltese authorities were awaiting the arrival of Dutch forensic experts and American FBI agents on Tuesday to help the investigations. A tent was erected over her burnt-out car and sheets placed over her remains. "Everyone knows Caruana Galizia was a harsh critic of mine, both politically and personally, but nobody can justify this barbaric act in any way," said Prime Minister Muscat, who had been suing her over some of her allegations. Opposition leader Adrian Delia called her killing an attack on democracy and freedom of expression and demanded an independent inquiry. "We will not accept an investigation by the Commissioner of Police, the Army commander or the duty magistrate, all of whom were criticised by Caruana Galizia," he said on Monday. Half an hour before the explosion tore into her car, Galizia wrote on her blog: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate."

She was murdered for exposing corruption, says son of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

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Pak court revives call for legal action against everyone named in Panama Papers

UK haven for Pakistanis to avoid tax or hide assets? Pandora papers highlight UK government's failure

Pandora papers leak: How Sachin Tendulkar, his family members are linked to report; attorney says 'investment is legitimate'

She was murdered for exposing corruption, says son of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia