Nawaz Sharif moves SC over consolidating graft references

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday has filed a plea in the Supreme Court seeking consolidation of three concurrent graft references.

The petition was filed through ex-PM Sharif’s legal team, stating that filling multiple references on a single allegation, possessing assets beyond known sources of income, is the sheer breach of Section 9 (a) (5) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

The petition pleads for suspension of the accountability court proceedings until the other three references are incorporated within a single corruption reference.

It asserts that holding several trials on a single allegation is violation of the defendant’s fundamental rights.

It merits highlighting here that the court had already separated the ongoing trials of ex-PM Sharif’s sons – Hasan and Hussain Nawaz – after declaring them absconder for their perpetual absence during the court proceedings.

Currently, Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and her spouse Captain (retd) Safdar are facing court proceedings in Pakistan and likely to be indicted on Oct 19 by the accountability court in a single corruption reference.

However, ex-PM Nawaz Sharif along with sons are in London.

The petition has been filed at a time when the accountability court today (Friday) abruptly adjourned hearing three graft references against the Sharif family members and fixed October 19, as new date, for the indictment after the lawyers staged a protest inside the courtroom.

Judge Muhammad Bashir on Friday morning adjourned the hearing soon after the proceedings began when the lawyers forced their way into the courtroom and surrounded the judge.

“Islamabad High Court has allowed lawyers to witness court proceedings, be it the accountability court since it is an open court,” the lawyers claimed.

These voices echoed the courtroom following a scuffle broke out between the federal police and PML-N lawyers outside the courtroom.