Islamabad: The Islamabad high court last week freed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar after suspending their jail sentences given by an anti-corruption court last July. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb gave the judgment on petitions filed by Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law challenging the verdict of the lower court in the Avenfield corruption reference, a case related to ownership of four apartments by the Sharif family in the Avenfield House, a housing block in London.
Justice Minallah read the judgment and suspended the sentences handed to the three by the anti-corruption court on July 6. “We accept the petitioners’ pleas seeking a suspension in their sentences,” Justice Minallah said. “The instant writ petition is allowed and sentence awarded to the petitioners by the accountability court shall remain suspended till the final adjudication of the appeal filed by the petitioner,” the judgment read. Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar were sentenced to 11 years, eight years and one year, respectively, in prison.
Minallah ruled that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog, was unable to prove a financial link between the former PM and the London flats. Ordering their release, the HC bench directed the trio to submit bail bonds worth roughly around $5000 each. Sharif, Maryam and her husband had been serving their sentences in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail since July 13. They were released after senator Chaudhary Tanvir submitted bail bonds for the trio at the deputy registrar’s office of the high court. The NAB is expected to challenge the IHC’s verdict at the Supreme Court. Hearings in two other graft cases against Sharif and his family are still on at an anti-corruption court.
Court summons Sharif in another case
Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court asked Sharif and a journalist to appear before it in connection with a treason case. The case, which was filed by civil society member Amina Malik, seeks action against Sharif on treason charges for allegedly trying to defame state institutions in an interview to Dawn news, as well as action against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for allegedly not honouring his oath of office by disclosing the minutes of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting to Nawaz.
Noting that Dawn news journalist Cyril Almeida had failed to appear in the last three hearings of the case, the three-judge bench told his lawyer that they would issue non-bailable arrest warrants so that he could be taken into custody and presented in court. The lawyer asked the judges to issue bailable arrest warrants, saying that he was sure Almeida would appear in court at the next hearing.
The court subsequently ordered that Almeida's name be placed on the no-fly list and non-bailable arrest warrants be issued for him, saying he must appear on October 8.
