Pakistan anti-graft watchdog grills Nawaz Sharif over Toshakhana vehicles case

Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif was grilled for an hour by officials of the anti-graft watchdog on Friday over the Toshakhana vehicles case in which he is alleged to have taken luxury cars from the government storehouse.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief answered some of the questions posed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), while he claimed to have no knowledge about the others, the Express Tribune reported.

Earlier this month, the NAB widened its investigation into the Toshakhana vehicles case against Sharif and former president Asif Zardari after it found that both the leaders were involved in taking cars from the government storehouse.

The NAB team grilled the former premier for an hour in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail before handing him a questionnaire, which Sharif will fill after consulting his legal team, the report said.

"As a prime minister, it was not my duty to keep a check upon the presents or gifts that I was given. All the presents that I had received as premier, had been submitted in the national treasury...As far as vehicles are concerned, as the prime minister of Pakistan, it was my legal and constitutional right to use them," the PML-N supremo told the NAB team, the report said.

According to NAB Deputy Director Raheel Azam, the investigation officer in the case, three cars were taken by Zardari and one by Sharif. He said any item worth Rs 400,000 can be kept as a gift but there is no permission to keep the car.

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