ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over their respective appeals filed against the Al-Azizia reference verdict.
A two-member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Aamer Farooq heard the appeals challenging the accountability court’s verdicts in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment corruption references against Nawaz.
During the hearing, the court heard NAB’s appeals along with appeals filed by Nawaz against the Al-Azizia verdict and suspension of his sentence.
Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris argued that his client “was not the real owner of the assets, but he had still been sentenced” in the Al-Azizia reference. Following this, the bench summoned the record of the trial and issued notices to the former prime minister as well as NAB over the appeals.
In its appeal against Nawaz’s acquittal in the Flagship reference, NAB had contended that “the court’s acquittal of the former premier was not justified”.
In its other appeal, NAB had argued that “Nawaz was found guilty with all charges against him proven and the seven-year jail term awarded in the Al-Azizia reference was not enough and should be increased”.
Nawaz Sharif was convicted by the accountability court in the Al-Azizia reference case and awarded seven years imprisonment besides a fine of Rs1.5 billion; however, he was acquitted in the Flagship reference.
