Charles D. Guthrie — the London-based solicitor who had notarised Shamim’s affidavit — has confirmed that the document was notarised at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s office in London.
The affidavit, whose contents mention a three-year-old alleged incident, accused the former top judge of trying to coerce a judgment from a sitting Islamabad High Court judge against the ousted Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Who is Charles Guthrie?
According to the website of London’s notary public, Charles Guthrie LLB, TEP qualified as a Notary Public in London in 2008 having previously qualified as a solicitor in 2003.
Guthrie is experienced in all areas of notary public work and offers a full range of notary services to both private individuals and businesses. “He undertakes mobile notary visiting service to client’s homes and offices and is willing to travel anywhere within the London area, to see clients,” the website added.
Charles holds a law degree (LLB) from Durham University, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law, as well as a Post-Graduate Diploma in Notarial Practice from Cambridge University.
Charles holds a current Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Solicitors Practising Certificate. The SRA is the regulatory body for solicitors in England and Wales.
Charles has extensive experience in legal practice including residential and commercial conveyancing and private client areas such as Wills & Probate and Lasting Powers of Attorney.
The affidavit
In the affidavit highlighted in a report published by the News, Rana Shamim stated that Nisar during his visit to Gilgit Baltistan made a call to an Islamabad High Court judge and asked him to ensure that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz are not released on bail before July 25, 2018 general elections.
According to the report, the affidavit was notarised at an office in Marble Arch, London, adding that the office belonged to Flagship Developments Limited, of which Sharif’s son Hasan Nawaz is a director and where top PML-N leaders often hold their meetings.
Nisar had denied the allegations and said that the claims were “absolutely untrue”. In a court hearing on Dec 7, Justice Rana Shamim had confirmed the contents of the document but said that he had neither circulated nor shared the affidavit with anyone. On directions of the court, Rana Shamim has submitted the affidavit in the court — more than a month after it first came to light.
The leaked audio
Charles D. Guthrie has confirmed that the document was notarised at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s office in London. The development was revealed in an audio released by journalist Irfan Hashmi in which Guthrie can be heard talking about Shamim’s affidavit.
The audio evidence has been forensically analysed by Joseph Naghdi, UK’s top forensic expert, who declared it to be “genuine, unadulterated, wholesome, and unedited.”
In the five audio clips, Charles Guthrie can be heard confirming that Rana Shamim was indeed present at Marble Arch. “The judge guy was in Nawaz Sharif’s office.” When asked in the audio “That was which office? Like here in London?”, Guthrie responds “Marble Arch.”
In the audio clip, Guthrie was further asked: “He was in Nawaz Sharif’s office? They were like quite cozy when they were in there?” To that, the notary replied “Very… yeah.”
IHC indicts Rana Shamim
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday indicted former Gilgit-Baltistan chief justice Rana Shamim in a contempt of court case but deferred the framing of charges against the media personnel also named in the case, including journalist Ansar Abbasi and Jang Group owner Mir Shakeelur Rehman.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had taken notice of the report and subsequently initiated contempt proceedings as Nawaz and Maryam’s case was being heard in the Islamabad High Court. Apart from Shamim, the story’s author Abbasi, Rehman and The News editor Aamir Ghauri were also named in the case.
