ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday decided to hear PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference on merit.
The hearing was conducted by IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
Despite the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) request to send the appeal back to the accountability court, the bench declined and opted to examine the case on its substantive grounds.
An accountability court had awarded seven years imprisonment to Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference, besides imposing a fine of 2.5 million pounds. Nawaz Sharif had appealed this decision, seeking to overturn the imprisonment and fine.
Also read: Nawaz Sharif gets bail in Toshakhana case after relief in other references
Meanwhile, NAB argued for an increased sentence, contending that the accountability court's judgment was too lenient.
Previously, the IHC had accepted Nawaz Sharif's appeal and acquitted him in the Avenfield Apartments reference, prompting NAB to withdraw its appeal against his acquittal in the Flagship reference.
This legal saga traces back to 2017 when the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif for not disclosing a receivable salary, leading to NAB filing multiple references, including those related to Avenfield, Al-Azizia Steel Mills, and Flagship, following the Panama Papers disclosure.
While serving his sentence related to the Al-Azizia case, Nawaz Sharif's health complications led to a diagnosis of an immune system disorder. Consequently, he was permitted to seek medical treatment abroad based on doctors' recommendations.
In December 2020, Nawaz Sharif was labeled a "proclaimed offender" for not returning to the country intentionally in both cases. Following his absence during the appeal proceedings in the IHC, his appeals against convictions were dismissed in June 2021 by the bench led by Justice Aamer Farooq.
However, in October of the following year, Nawaz Sharif returned to the country after securing protective bail in both graft cases. He surrendered before the court, leading to the restoration of his appeals.