Al-Azizia verdict: IHC to take up appeals of NAB, Nawaz on 18th

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed appeals of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against the Al-Azizia case verdict for hearing on Dec 18.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, will hear the case.

The former premier through his appeal has challenged the seven-year jail term awarded to him by an accountability court in the Al-Azizia reference, whereas the NAB moved the appeal seeking to enhance his sentence in the same case.

A bench of the IHC had recently granted bail to Nawaz Sharif on medical grounds, suspending his sentence for eight weeks so he can travel abroad for treatment. The court asked his counsel to submit two surety bonds worth Rs two million each.

On December 24, 2018, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader was sentenced to seven years in prison in the Al-Azizia reference.

The accountability court judge Muhammad Arshad Malik had announced the verdict in the two references namely Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment and sentenced the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader to seven years in prison and ordered him to pay $25million and Rs1.5 billion as fine.