Nawaz Sharif's plea against Al-Azizia verdict to be heard on Jan 7
Sharif claims the sentence was based on 'misinterpretation of law'.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday constituted a two-member bench for hearing an application filed by former premier Nawaz Sharif seeking suspension of sentence awarded to him in the Al-Azizia Reference case.
Reportedly, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq would resume the bail application’s hearing on January 7.
Sharif has pleaded with the court to suspend his sentence and release him on bail.
In the application, he claimed that the accountability court’s judgement was based on ‘misunderstanding’ and ‘misinterpretation of the law’, and the evidences were addressed inappropriately.
The application further remarked that the grievances of the accused were not heard and addressed.
Furthermore, he has requested the court for a bail until the application of suspension is not heard.
The accountability court on December 24 convicted Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference and sentenced him to seven years in prison, and acquitted him in the Flagship reference case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Mega corruption scandal.
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In the 131-page judgement written by the accountability court judge Arshad Malik, reasons of his conviction were mentioned. It said that the prosecution has successfully established all the ingredients of the offence of corruption committed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and that he has failed to provide legal money trail of his assets.
Later, Sharif was arrested from the premises of the accountability court.
After spending a night at the Adiyala Jail in Rawalpindi, he was shifted to the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.
Earlier, the NAB had filed three cases -- Avenfield, Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, and offshore companies, including Flagship Investment Limited -- against the Sharifs on the Supreme Court’s directives in the July 2017 Panamagate verdict. The trial commenced later in September that year.
The three-time Premier and his sons Hasan and Hussain were accused in all the three graft references whereas his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.
Sharif was ousted and disqualified from holding office by the Supreme Court in July 2017 and jailed earlier this year in absentia. He was arrested on July 13 upon returning from London.
On September 19, Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar were released from jail after the Islamabad High Court suspended prison sentences they got in the Avennfield reference over the purchase of upscale apartments in London.
The Islamabad High Court suspended the 10-year jail term of the three-time premier. The court had also freed Sharif’s daughter and political heir Maryam, who was jailed for seven years on corruption charges relating to the family’s acquisition of the London flats.
