Nawaz to appear before accountability court again today

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will appear before the accountability court on Monday as it will resume hearing two remaining corruption references against him and his family.

Accountability court II Judge Arshad Malik will resume hearing the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references.

During the last hearing on August 15, the former premier was brought to the court in a bulletproof SUV unlike the hearing before that when he was brought to the federal judicial complex in an armoured personnel carrier (APC).

The statements of investigating officer Mehboob Alam were recorded in the Al-Azizia reference during the last hearing.

Directing Alam to continue recording his statements during the next hearing, the court had adjourned the case till today.

Hearing of Al-Azizia, Flagship references adjourned till August 20

The court alhas summoned prosecution’s star witness and Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head Wajid Zia for the hearing.

On August 7, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) transferred the two references to Accountability Court II.

A two-member bench of the IHC, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, ordered the transfer of the cases on Nawaz’s plea.

Nawaz’s legal counsel had filed an appeal requesting the court to transfer the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references from the court of Accountability Judge-I Mohammad Bashir to another accountability court.

On July 6, accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir had announced the verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), handing the ousted prime minister 10 years as jail time and seven years to his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

The trial
The trial against the Sharif family commenced on September 14, 2017.

On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference.

Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.

On July 10, the Supreme Court granted another six-week extension for Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir to conclude the remaining corruption references against Nawaz and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.