Accountability court rejects plea to delay verdicts

Court accepts fresh documents submitted by defence

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Friday accepted fresh documents submitted by the defence side in the Flagship Investment reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and permitted to make them part of the case record.

Accountability Court-II Judge Arshad Malik rejected the objections of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to the documents pertaining to sale of Hussain Nawaz's property. The judge also turned down the defense's request to delay the verdicts in the references.

NAB Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi opposed the defense request and adopted the stance that these documents were not mentioned in the financial statement. The companies were in loss, he argued.



He said the prosecution's case based on the premise that how these companies were established but the defense had produced documents on the company’s disposal. The prosecutor pleaded that the trial court had reserved its judgment after the defense side after completion of evidence and arguments.

There were no provisions in the law to present more documents in case at this stage, Abbasi argued, adding that the accused had been given full opportunities to submit documents in their defense during the trial. The judge noted that during the last hearing, he had allowed the production of more documents before the judgment.

The judge remarked that the case was that the former prime minister had made properties abroad in names of his sons. Whether this property was now sold out or not, it had no impact on the trial, he observed.

It may be mentioned here that the court had reserved its judgment in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment references and will announce it on Monday, December 24.