NAB again challenges Avenfield bail

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday removed the registrar’s office objections and again challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) the bail granted to former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference.

A division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani will hear the case on September 15.

The anti-corruption watchdog had submitted an application in the IHC seeking the cancellation of bail given to Nawaz.

The petition stated that the former prime minister had misused the suspension of sentence and the concession of bail granted to him.

It said that Nawaz was not entitled to this concession as he had left the country and had been declared proclaimed offender. The plea sought cancellation of his bail.

The registrar office had returned the plea after raising technical objections on it.

Sharif was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in the Avenfield case in July 2018 and seven-year jail term in Al-Azizia case in December 2018.

In September 2018, an IHC bench suspended the sentences handed down to the former prime minister, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law capt (retd) Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield case.

On October 29 last year, the IHC granted Sharif an eight-week bail in the Al-Azizia case in view of his “deteriorating” health.