The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday constituted a bench to hear an appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar’s release in the Avenfield reference.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, will hear the petitions from Wednesday.
It is to be mentioned here that NAB had approached the top court to reinstate imprisonment sentences of Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar in the Avenfield reference. The anti-graft watchdog in its petition held that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) hadn’t reviewed the technicalities of the case before suspending the sentences of Sharifs.
Last month, Justice Minallah of the IHC had suspended the sentences handed to former premier Nawaz, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar by Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir on July 6.
Ordering their release, the two-judge bench directed the former premier, his daughter and son-in-law to submit bail bonds worth Rs 0.5 million each.
Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar were convicted and sentenced to prison in absentia for 10 years, seven years and one year respectively, in the Avenfield reference. Maryam Nawaz and Captain (r) Safdar were also disqualified from contesting elections for 10 years each. The case stemmed from the Panama Papers leak that disclosed expensive and undeclared property owned by the Sharif family in London.
Published in Daily Times, October 24th 2018.
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