NAB court issues detailed verdict on Sharifs’ exemption from appearance plea

ISLAMABAD: The accountability court here on Wednesday issued a detailed verdict on a plea seeking an exemption from personal appearance before the court, filed by Sharif family members in a graft reference.

“An exemption from personal appearances on grounds of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s ailment couldn’t be justified,” Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir wrote.

The plea was filed during a trial on Feb 15 in three corruption references, namely Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship Investments and Avenfield, against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law MNA Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar.

Sharif’s counsel then pleaded the judge to grant his client a permission to visit his ailing wife in London by exempting the three from personal appearance before the court from February 19 to March 5.

The court has been conducting trial in the graft references filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in compliance of the Supreme Court’s landmark July 28 verdict.

At last hearing, NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Muzaffar Abbasi opposed the plea and contended that the Supreme Court’s deadline to wrap up the case is approaching, as he said, the month of March is nearing.

The deputy prosecutor said Sharif’s two sons have already been declared proclaimed offenders in the case and the case should not be further delayed.

The accountability court then discarded the plea filed by Sharifs.

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.