Pakistan SC to hear NAB’s plea against Sharif’s release

Pakistan Supreme Court on Monday acceded to hear the plea filed against the Islamabad High Court’s order to suspend the jail terms awarded to former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Avenfield case.

The preliminary hearing of the case was conducted by a three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nasir, who indicated that Sharifs would remain out of jail during the trial and the case against the suspension of the jail term would be heard separately.

The bench ordered that the defendants’ bail in the case would be maintained while the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea against the suspension of the sentences would be heard separately.

The apex court said it would see if there was any need to change the bench or constitute a larger bench to hear the appeal over the suspension of the sentences.

The next hearing of NAB’s appeal against the IHC’s suspension of the sentences will take place on December 12.

Sharif, Maryam and Safdar were also disqualified from contesting elections or holding public office for a period of 10 years after their release in the Avenfield case, a ruling that ruined their political career.

The Avenfield case was among the three corruption cases filed against the three-time former premier and his children by the NAB on the Supreme Court’s orders in the Panama Papers case which disqualified Sharif.

Sharif has denied any wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.

Nawaz Sharif and Maryam were convicted in absentia in the Avenfield case on July 6 by the Accountability Court. Apart from serving jail sentences, fines of eight million pounds and two million pounds were also slapped on the father-daughter duo, respectively.