Sharif accused in helicopter case

Nawaz Sharif's wife and family have been at the hearings

Prosecution witnesses have started recording their evidence against the ousted Pakistani prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, over corruption charges.

Mr Sharif is accused of tax evasion and fraudulently purchasing a helicopter, which he used for campaigning in the mid-1990s.

Defence lawyers continued a boycott which they had begun at the last hearing, complaining about the way the trial was being run.

Mr Sharif has already been convicted of terrorism and hijacking, for which he has been given a life sentence.

I also met Sharif once to discuss the details of the deal

Prosecution witness Niaz Hussain Siddiqui

The corruption trial is taking place in a 16th century fort in the town of Attock, about 150km (95 miles) north-west of the capital, Islamabad.

Prosecution lawyers presented two witnesses - the pilot of the helicopter and a man who said he had negotiated the deal which eventually led to Mr Sharif purchasing the helicopter.

Tax evasion

Reporting from the trial, the BBC's Owen Bennett-Jones said the two men described the costs of buying and running the aircraft.

Niaz Hussain Siddiqui, an official of a private airline company, said the helicopter was purchased on Mr Sharif's behalf by his close aide, Saifur Rehman.

I don't accept this government nor its laws

Nawaz Sharif

"I also met Sharif once to discuss the details of the deal," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.

The prosecution says Mr Sharif spent more than $1m on the helicopter but failed to declare it or pay tax on it.

Mr Sharif complained that he had no legal representation and refused to answer most of the questions put to him.

"I have not seen my lawyers for the last seven days," he told the court.

He accused the military of victimising him for political reasons, and he told the judge that the case would eventually be decided by the military's general headquarters.

"General Musharraf has put his prime minister in prison. I don't accept this government nor its laws," the ousted premier said.

If he is found guilty, Nawaz Sharif faces an automatic 21-year disqualification from holding public office, and a possible 14-year prison sentence.

Government investigators are working on no fewer than 19 cases of corruption and financial mismanagement which they plan to bring against Nawaz Sharif.