ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, during hearing of the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case on Tuesday, requested more time from the accountability court to provide answers of four remaining questions into the graft reference, ARY News reported.
Lawyer of the former PM, Khawaja Haris, pleaded the court to provide his client a little more time so he could complete study of the background of remaining queries before submitting their answers.
“We need to sit and analyze questions before furnishing the response,’ Haris requested the Judge Arshad Malik, who was chairing the proceedings.
The lawyer assured the court that Mr. Sharif would also appear before the court on Thursday (November 22).
The judge responded that the case needed to be winded up in three weeks as ordered by the Supreme Court. He added that the court would try limiting questions from 70 to 75 in the Flagship Investment reference. Nawaz Sharif has submitted his answers to 144 questions in the Al-Azizia case, while four are left due to complication in nature of questions as stated by Khawaja Haris.
On November 19, the Supreme Court gave three weeks to the accountability court to wrap up graft references against Nawaz Sharif.
The apex court issued the order in response to a request submitted by the accountability court seeking another extension to wind up Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment references against Nawaz Sharif.
The order was issued by the two-member SC bench. CJP Mian Saqib Nisar stated in his order that the Supreme Court would not grant further extension for completion of trial against the ex-PM.
According to the charge sheet against the former premier in the Al-Azizia reference, Mr Sharif has been accused of owning assets which are disproportionate to his known sources of income. It says transactions have been carried out between Mr Sharif’s family members and their companies without any plausible explanation and consideration.
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