IHC acquits Nawaz Sharif in Avenfield reference
ISLAMABAD: In a major relief for the former prime minister, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday acquitted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield Apartments reference case.
The court also dismissed the plea filed by the National Accountability Bureau in the Flagship reference against the PML-N supremo after the accountability watchdog withdrew it.
An IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict on Nawaz’s plea to overturn his conviction in the graft case.
Recently, the high court also acquitted PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar in the Avenfield reference, nullifying the conviction handed to them in 2018 by an accountability court.
On July 6, 2018, the trial court sentenced Nawaz to 10 years in jail upon conviction along with a £8 million fine (approximately Rs1.3 billion), in the Avenfield corruption reference for owning assets beyond known sources of income and an additional year for not cooperating with NAB, both of them to be served concurrently.
Maryam was sentenced to seven years in prison with a fine of £2 million, and one year for non-cooperation with the bureau, while her husband was handed down two-year rigorous imprisonment.
Nawaz and his daughter Maryam were arrested upon their arrival in Lahore from London in July 2018.
In December same year, Nawaz got another blow as a NAB court awarded him a seven-year jail term and a fine of Rs1.5 billion in the Al-Azizia reference.
Meanwhile, the former PM filed appeals in the IHC for both convictions to be overturned. He got a major relief as the high court ordered the release of Nawaz, Maryam and Captain Safdar while temporarily suspending the sentences awarded to them in the Avenfield reference.
While serving the sentence in the Al-Azizia case, Nawaz was diagnosed with an immune system disorder and subsequently allowed to travel abroad for treatment as per doctors’ advice.
In December 2020, Nawaz was declared a “proclaimed offender” in both cases for “deliberately” not returning to the country.
As he failed to appear in the IHC during the appeals proceedings, the IHC bench headed by Justice Farooq dismissed his appeals against convictions on June 24, 2021.
Last month, Nawaz returned to the country after obtaining protective bail in both graft cases and surrendered before the court, after which his appeals were restored.
Talking to journalists outside the court after his major legal victory, Nawaz — a three-time prime minister eyeing his fourth term in next year’s general elections — said: “I had left it up to Allah. In Al-Azizia [Steel Mills corruption reference] also, I’ve also left my matters up to Allah.”
PML-N leader Azam Nazeer Tarar said that NAB had failed to present evidence against Nawaz in the Avenfield reference.
He said NAB was given ample time to prove corruption allegations and establish that Nawaz and his daughter were involved in corruption but the anti-corruption watchdog failed to present substantial evidence against the PML-N leaders.
“Nawaz Sharif stands vindicated and acquitted for lack of evidence,” he added.