IHC gives time to Maryam to appoint new lawyer in Avenfield reference

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted time to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz Sharif till September 23 to appoint new lawyer in a case against her conviction in the Avenfield reference.

The Divisional Bench of the IHC comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani here the plea of Maryam Nawaz.

At the outset of the hearing, Maryam Nawaz Sharif informed the court that her lawyer Amjad Pervez has excused himself from fighting the case as he has contracted coronavirus.

I need more time to appoint a new lawyer for the pursuance of the case, she added.

Justice Amir Farooq remarked that hiring a lawyer is the right of everyone. The IHC rejecting the NAB prosecution team’s opposition, allowed Maryam Nawaz Sharif to appoint a new lawyer and adjourned the hearing until September 23.

On the other hand, while talking to the media after the court appearance, Maryam Nawaz criticized Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and said that it has failed to deliver. Pakistan will witness positive change and the fake incumbent government will be sent packing, she claimed.

On July 6, 2018, the accountability court had announced the verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), handing ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif 10 years as jail time for owning assets beyond known income and 1 year for not cooperating with NAB.

His daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif was given 7 years for abetment after she was found “instrumental in concealment of the properties of her father” and 1 year for non-cooperation with the bureau.