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IHC Adjourns Hearing Of Pleas Against Avenfield Verdict

Islamabad (September 10, 2018): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has adjourned hearing into the petitions challenging the Sharif family’s conviction in the Avenfield properties reference by tomorrow.

A bench comprising of Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mian Gull was hearing the petitions.

As the bench began hearing the case, Nawaz’s brother and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif was present in the courtroom.

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Prosecutor of the National Accountability Bureau Akram Qureshi contended that it would be biased to hear the petitions to suspend the sentence. Qureshi requested the court to grant him the permission to submit a written response to the defence lawyer’s petition.

Justice Minallah noted that the court could not examine all the proofs and assess the merit thereof.

On July 16, the Sharifs and Captain Safdar had filed appeals for the Avenfield verdict to be overturned. Their lawyers had also filed petitions that argued that until the IHC adjudicates on the appeals against the accountability court’s decision, the convicts should be released on bail.In the appeals, counsel Khawaja Haris had argued that the prosecution must establish its case beyond a shadow of a doubt in order to shift the onus of proof on the accused, but in the Avenfield properties reference the prosecution failed to establish such a case.

The convicts had appealed to the court for setting aside their sentence, suspending their sentence and granting them bail, and transferring Al-Azizia and Flagship references against them to a different trial court.

Earlier on August 17, Islamabad High Court’s division bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiani and Justice Gul Hassan Aurangzeb adjourned hearing into the appeals.IHC Defers Verdict Over Sharifs’ Pleas Against ConvictionOn August 11, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench formed to hear bail petitions of Sharif family in Avenfield reference was dissolved once again. The development came as Justice Aamir Farooq went abroad on leave in summer vacations. Previously, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani also went on summer vacations.

IHC registrar office sent the matter pertaining to the formation of the new bench in the case to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP). The new bench will conduct hearing into the petitions of former premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (R) Safdar. The earlier three-member full bench dissolved after Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza recused himself from hearing the petitions due to personal reason.On July 6, Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir announced the verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), handing the ousted prime minister 10 years’ jail term and seven years to his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

Related News:

AC Hears Corruption Reference Against Nawaz Sharif

IHC Hears Pleas Against Avenfield Verdict