Ousted premier Nawaz Sharif on Sunday held a meeting with his legal team in his Mayfair residence and discussed with them the possibility of his appearance before the accountability court during next hearing on October 19 in the corruption references brought against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Reportedly, Nawaz Sharif has directed Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq and Raja Zafarul Haq among other PML-N leaders to approach political allies for further amendments in the Electoral Reforms Bill 2017.
The NAB has in total filed three references against the Sharif family and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the accountability court, in light of the Supreme Court’s orders in the Panama Papers case verdict of July 28.
The anti-graft body was given six weeks, from the date of the apex court’s order, to file the reference in an accountability court while the accountability court was granted six months to wrap up the proceedings.
The references against the Sharif family pertain to the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, their London properties and over dozen offshore companies owned by the family.
NAB’s Rawalpindi branch prepared two references regarding the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, and the nearly dozen companies owned by the Sharif family.
Its Lahore branch prepared a reference on the Sharif family’s Avenfield apartments in London and another against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for owning assets beyond his known sources of income.
If convicted, the accused may face up to 14 years imprisonment and lifelong disqualification from holding public office including the freezing of bank accounts and assets.