IHC reserves decision on NAB plea against Safdar’s bail

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its decision on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s petition seeking the dismissal of bail granted to MNA Capt (r) Safdar in a corruption case.

Safdar is the son-in-law of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and faces a corruption reference in the accountability court alongside Nawaz.

He reached the court around 11am after being summoned by the two-member divisional bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

The NAB prosecutor presented arguments favouring the cancellation of Safdar’s bail. The court also confiscated his mobile, which was returned to him after the court hearing.

The IHC had summoned Safdar pertaining to a petition filed by NAB seeking cancellation of bail granted to him. The bail had been granted to the accused by an accountability court hearing graft references against the Sharif family.

The NAB on Nov 3, had moved the IHC against the accountability court’s order to release Safdar on bail after he was taken into NAB custody upon arrival in Pakistan from London on October 9.

The court had issued non-bailable warrants against him after he had failed to appear for previous hearings despite repeated notices regarding cases filed by NAB in light of the Supreme Court’s July 28 judgement in the Panama Papers case.