Islamabad (August 02, 2018): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday has taken up the pleas filed by members of the Sharif family against their convictions in the Avenfield reference as well as a petition to transfer the Al-Azizia and Flagship references to another court.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb is hearing hear the appeals while Nawaz’ counsel, Khawaja Haris is presenting the arguments.
During the last hearing, Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris had pleaded to shift the trial of the remaining corruption references to a court other than that of Muhammad Bashir.
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Haris had argued that Accountability Court-I Judge Muhammad Bashir had already disclosed his intentions by sentencing his client in the Avenfield reference.
On the court’s query, Nawaz’s counsel had also stated that the investigation officers in all three references were different whereas the witnesses and their defence was common.
After hearing Nawaz’s petition to transfer the two remaining references to another court, the two-member bench will take up the Sharif family’s pleas against their convictions in the Avenfield reference in which the former premier was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Earlier on July 16, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar had submitted appeals in Islamabad High Court (IHC) against Avenfield reference verdict.
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The petitioners have requested the court to annul the decision pertaining to their imprisonment, fine, disqualification and forfeiture of property.
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All the three accused should be released on bail until the final verdict, it added.
It is to be mentioned here that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Safdar were convicted and sentenced to prison in absentia for ten years, seven years and one year respectively, in Avenfield verdict that is likely to further disrupt an already chaotic campaign for national elections this month.
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Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar, who were candidates for the forthcoming general elections were also disqualified from contesting elections for 10 years each.
The sentence and a fine of 8 million pounds, or $10.6 million, came almost a year after Supreme Court removed Sharif from office and less than five months after the court barred him from holding office for life.
Nawaz Sharif was convicted under section 9(a)(5) of the NAB ordinance.
The case stemmed from the Panama Papers leak that disclosed expensive and undeclared property owned by the Sharif family in London.
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