NAB chairman approves supplementary references against Sharifs

RAWALPINDI: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to filing of supplementary references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons, ARY News reported.

Sources said the NAB chairman approved supplementary references in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment cases filed against Sharif and his sons – Hussain and Hassan Nawaz.

They said the references will be filed in an accountability court in the federal capital today.

New evidences gathered against the Sharif family have been made a part of the supplementary references. The Flagship Investment reference contained additional information about the ruling family’s offshore companies.

On Tuesday, the accountability court expressed displeasure over the NAB’s delay in the filing of supplementary references.

Judge Muhammad Bashir issued a notice to the NAB director general to come up with an explanation as to why the bureau has failed to file the references as yet.

He was irked when a NAB prosecutor sought more time to file the references against Sharif.

The prosecutor said two supplementary references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif were ready and will be filed at the earliest.

Last week, the bureau had served a notice to the former premier to appear before it to record his statement in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment cases. However, he didn’t turn up.

Sharif along with his sons-Hussain and Hassan – has been named in three NAB references, while his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt. Safdar have been nominated in a reference with regard to the Sharif family’s London-based Avenfield properties.

The references were filed in compliance with the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict last year.

The bureau had earlier filed a supplementary reference against the former premier and members of his family in the Avenfield properties case.