ISLAMABAD: An accountability court to record the statement of erstwhile Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference on Thursday (today).
Judge Arshad Malik to resume hearing into the corruption reference at 11:30am today, filed against Sharif on the orders of the supreme court in light of Panama case verdict.
Recording of the statement of the elder Sharif is linked to the presence of his counsel, Khawaja Haris, as he pleaded the court to record his client’s statement in his presence. AC Judge, Arshad Malik has prepared a questionnaire to quiz Nawaz Sharif in the reference by himself.
During the proceedings on Wednesday, former prime minister was allowed to leave the hearing due to protest in Islamabad against Aasiya Bibi’s acquittal. An accountability court on Tuesday ruled that it would record statement of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference on next hearing.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Wasiq Malik informed Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik that the depositions of all prosecution witnesses have completed in the case.
A total of 22 witnesses recorded their testimonies before the court in the Al-Azizia corruption reference.
The accountability court has until November 17 to wrap up the remaining two corruption references – Al-Azizia and Flagship Investments – against the Sharif family.
The Supreme Court had granted a final extension to the court earlier this month, after its deadline to conclude the trials against the Sharifs had ended on October 7.
NAB had filed three references against the Sharif family in pursuance of the July 28 order that disqualified Nawaz Sharif from the office of prime minister.
A reference pertaining to the Sharif family’s Avenfield properties in London has been decided while Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references are pending disposal.
On July 6, an accountability court had sentenced Nawaz to a total of eleven years in prison and imposed a £8 million fine in the corruption reference. His daughter Maryam was sentenced to eight years with a £2 million fine while Safdar was given a one-year sentence.
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