Chairman Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Zafar Hijazi. Photo: File 

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Zafar Hijazi on Friday maintained his stance in Special Judge Central Tahir Mehmood's court that SECP staffers did not tamper records of Chaudhry Sugar Mills under duress.

A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) inquiry team found Hijazi guilty of tampering the records of companies owned by the Sharif family and recommended registering a First Information Report (FIR) against him.

The team submitted a 28-page inquiry report to the Supreme Court (SC) on July 9, in which it endorsed the stance of the joint investigation team (JIT) probing the offshore assets of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family in connection with the Panamagate case.

Hijazi's legal counsel argued that both SECP officers named in the case acted on their own, stating that officer Maheen Fatima's statement to the court does not make any mention of duress.

"Abid Hussain is a director and does not need any directives," Hijazi's lawyer said. "No such evidence has been brought forward that proves Hijazi was involved in the record tampering."