Arrest warrants issued for Avenfield convicts

An investigation team has been sent to arrest Safdar after his arrest warrants were received

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday started the formal process to arrest all the three convicts in the Avenfield case -- deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar -- after obtaining their warrants of arrest from Islamabad’s accountability court.

The bureau has also constituted three teams that have been dispatched to Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra to locate Capt (retd) Safdar, who has apparently gone into hiding to avoid arrest.

“All the three teams will stay deputed until the arrest of the accused,” said a statement issued by NAB on Saturday night.



The statement further read that the NAB teams raided houses of the accused in Abbottabad and Haripur and added that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) administration -- including police -- are fully cooperating with the bureau.

Capt (retd) Safdar’s cell phones and his close associates are found to be switched off. He was last seen in Tanawal village of Mansehra district on July 6.

Safdar was convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for one year each for signing the trust deeds as witness; aiding and abetting in the conspiracy with the Sharif family and for non-cooperation with state authorities during investigation into the Avenfield case.

Meanwhile, NAB announced that “it has made all arrangements at Lahore and Islamabad airports to arrest Sharif and Maryam in line with the verdict of the court” on their return to the country.

They are scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on July 13 (Friday). The bureau said both of them would be arrested as soon as their plane land at any of the airports.

NAB’s Intelligence and Security wing is carrying out the whole operation to arrest the convicts.

Also, NAB dispelled the impression created by some quarters within the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), including Nawaz Sharif, that the Sharif family have not been convicted in corruption.

NAB said Sharif and Maryam had been convicted under Section 9(a)(v) and Section 9(a)(v) and (xii) of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999, respectively, which prima facie come under the preview of corruption and corrupt practices.

An extra year’s imprisonment under Serial No 2 of scheduled offences under the NAB’s law was given to them.



Section 9-A(v) says, “A holder of a public office, or any other person, is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices; if he or any of his dependents or benamidar owns, possesses, or has acquired right or title in any assets or holds irrevocable power of attorney in respect of any assets or pecuniary resources disproportionate to his known sources of income, which he cannot reasonably account for or maintains a standard of living beyond that which is commensurate with his sources of income.”

Sections 9-A(v) & (xii) say, “A holder of a public office, or any other person, is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices; if he aids, assists, abets, attempts or acts in conspiracy with a person or a holder of public office accused of an offence as provided in clauses (i) to (xi).”

NAB clarified that both the accused are convicted for their involvement in corruption and corrupt practices contrary to their claims.