ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has scheduled a hearing for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference. The two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb, will preside over the case.
In the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference, Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to seven years in prison on December 24, 2018. Additionally, he was fined Rs1.5 billion and $25 million. This development follows closely on the heels of the IHC’s acquittal of Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference just two days prior, providing a significant legal reprieve and reigniting hopes for a potential fourth term as prime minister.
In the Avenfield Properties corruption reference, an accountability court had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in jail for owning assets beyond known income and one year for non-cooperation with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in July 2018. In December 2020, the IHC declared him a proclaimed offender in the case. Nawaz Sharif had left the country for London for medical reasons, spent almost four years there, and returned to Pakistan last month.
NAB Files Reference Against Imran Khan and Others in £190 Million Settlement Case
In another development, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Rawalpindi filed a reference against Imran Khan, Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and seven others in connection to the £190 million settlement case.
The Deputy Prosecutor General of NAB, along with Investigating Officer Mian Umar Nadeem, submitted the reference in Islamabad’s accountability court, listing eight suspects, including Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
In 2019, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) reached a £190 million settlement with the Riaz family following an investigation into frozen funds. The settlement, part of an out-of-court agreement with the property tycoon, mandated the return of funds to the government of Pakistan. The settlement included a UK property, 1 Hyde Park Place, London, valued at around £50 million, and the entirety of the frozen accounts.
Imran Khan filed a post-arrest bail plea in the accountability court on Thursday, asserting that the cases against him were politically motivated to tarnish his reputation.
The plea, submitted by Latif Khosa, Intezar Panjutha, and Ali Aijaz, requested bail until a decision in the £190 million case. Judge Muhammad Bashir issued notices to the involved parties and adjourned the hearing until December 4.
Earlier in May, the then Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah claimed that Imran Khan and his wife received billions from a real estate firm to legitimize a laundered amount of Rs50 billion returned to Pakistan’s central bank by the UK. The government alleged that the recovered amount was not deposited in the national exchequer, but instead transferred to the Supreme Court registrar’s account.
