An Islamabad accountability court rendered a decision on Tuesday, acquitting former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, in three corruption references linked to the Panama Papers.
Back in 2018, Nawaz’s sons were declared proclaimed offenders after they failed to participate in the investigation regarding the Avenfield Apartment, Al-Azizia, and Flagship Investment references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Earlier this month, Hussain and Hassan, represented by their counsel Qazi Misbahul Hassan, opted to surrender before the court to face trial proceedings and requested the suspension of the warrants issued against them.
Following the court’s suspension of their warrants until March 14, both returned to Pakistan on March 12, ending their six-year-long self-imposed exile in London.
Last week, the court reopened the references against Hussain and Hassan after suspending their perpetual arrest warrants and granting them bail against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.
Accountability Judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the verdict today, which had been reserved earlier, accepting the acquittal pleas.
Qazi Misbah appeared as the counsel for Hussain and Hassan, with their pleader Rana Mohammad Irfan also present. The NAB, represented by prosecutor Azhar Maqbool, did not oppose the acquittal pleas.
Hussain and Hassan Nawaz left the country in 2018 after being implicated in the corruption cases. They were declared proclaimed offenders for failing to participate in the investigation and court proceedings, leading to the issuance of arrest warrants.
The PML-N orchestrated their return in a discreet manner, keeping it low-key as the media remained uninformed. Both landed at Lahore airport from London and were escorted to their Jati Umra residence under tight security provided by the Punjab police.
During the hearing, the court initially sought the NAB’s report on the pleas, to which the bureau’s prosecutor responded that a previous Supreme Court verdict did not hinder the acquittals.
Judge Rana then requested Maqbool to record his statement. The prosecutor informed the court that the cases were not affected by the amendments to the NAB laws. He added that Nawaz, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and her husband Captain (rtd) Safdar had already been acquitted in related cases.
“The main accused have been acquitted, while Hassan and Hussain are accused of conspiracy and abetment,” the lawyer argued.
The counsel emphasized that since the charges against the main accused had been dismissed, a case based solely on providing assistance could not be sustained.
Misbah pointed out that the NAB had not presented any further evidence against the newly elected Punjab CM, as per the December 2023 verdicts. He also highlighted that the NAB had withdrawn its appeal against Nawaz’s acquittal in the Flagship Investment reference.
After both sides presented their arguments, the court reserved its verdict on Hassan and Hussain’s pleas for acquittal in the three references.
