Pak PM to challenge Nawaz Sharif's sentence in Avenfield reference in Islamabad court
Dec 12, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], December 12 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who chaired a session of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), has decided to challenge the sentence of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in connection with the Avenfield reference, ARY News reported citing sources on Monday.
According to the news channel which cited sources, the session has decided to challenge the sentence in accountability reference in the IHC after the acquittal of Maryam Nawaz by the High Court.
According to Samaa news, July 2017, In light of the findings of the Joint Investigation Team probing the Panama Papers suspends Nawaz Sharif's membership as MNA and disqualified him from holding the office of the prime minister.
The German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung obtained around 11.5m files from the database of one of the world's biggest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca, and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Samaa news reported.
In 2016, the ICIJ released Panama Papers.The papers revealed that the Sharif Family owns the four flats in the posh localities of London Mayfair and Park Lane. The family was using the flats since 90s.It was alleged that the Sahrif Family bought these flats with ill-gotten money.
ARY News further cited the sources as stating that Maryam Nawaz, who is currently in London, would return before the arrival of Nawaz Sharif whose return would be announced from London through a statement.
"He is expected to return back to Pakistan in January," ARY News quoted sources as saying.
The IHC had given an acquittal to Maryam Nawaz and her spouse Captain retired Safdar on September 29. The court had nullified the sentence which was awarded by an accountability court in the Avenfield reference.
The verdict, which was reserved after hearing arguments from both sides, was delivered by the Divisional Bench of the High Court.
The ARY News reported that during the hearing, the judge enquired the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor how can the charge sheet against Maryam Nawaz be proved. It asked the prosecutor to establish Maryam Nawaz's link in the assets beyond known sources of income in Avenfield reference.
The judge asked how the JIT report proved charges against Maryam while also remarking that the National Accountability Bureau did not succeed in establishing a link of Avenfield reference with Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif.
An accountability court had on July 6, 2018, sentenced Nawaz Sharif to a jail of 10 years while also imposing a fine of Euro 8 million in connection with the Avenfield properties case.
According to ARY News, the court had also awarded 7-year jail term to Maryam while also imposing a fine of Euro 2 million. Her husband was given a one-year jail term.
