IHC to hear Nawaz’s appeals from 27th

Justice Farooq says court will hear case on daily basis if needed

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday decided to begin hearing arguments on PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif's appeals against his conviction in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references from November 27.
An IHC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurang¬zeb, made the decision.

In July 2018, an accountability court sentenced the PML-N supremo to rigorous imprisonment for a term of 10 years with a fine of eight million pounds (Rs1.92 billion) in the Avenfield Apartments corruption reference for owning assets beyond known sources of income and an additional year for not cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), both of them to be served concurrently.

Later in December 2018, Nawaz was sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs1.2 billion and $25 million after an accountability court found him guilty the in Al-Azizia reference. He subsequently filed appeals against his convictions in the IHC.

While the court was still in the process of hearing the appeals, the PML-N leader flew to London in November 2019 after receiving a rare permission for medical treatment abroad. As a result, an IHC bench led by Farooq dismissed the appeals on June 24, 2021 because of the PML-N supremo’s failure to appear for the court hearings.

Last month, the IHC restored the PML-N supremo’s appeals against his conviction in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references after he filed separate applications in the court for their revival following his return tom the UK.
On Tuesday, the PML-N supremo appeared at the IHC amid tight security and was accompanied by an entourage that included his brother and former premier Shehbaz Sharif and other senior party leaders.

At the start of the proceedings, Nawaz's lawyer, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, said his client wished to present arguments on the appeal submitted against his conviction in the Avenfield reference on the same day. When asked how much time would be required by Nawaz's lawyer, the court was informed that it would take four to six hours while the NAB prosecutor said he would need around half an hour.

To this Justice Farooq inquired it meant that NAB did not want to say anything. The IHC CJ remarked that the NAB prosecutor would be given one to two hours to present its arguments. He continued that if Advocate Amjaz Parvez, who was also representing Nawaz, completed his arguments then the NAB prosecutor would have nothing to say.
Justice Farooq then remarked that the court would begin hearing the PML-N supremo’s arguments from November 27.

Tarar urged the bench to hear the appeals on a daily basis as the matter concerned his client’s rights, adding that the court’s time would not be wasted. The IHC CJ told him that the court would hear the case on a daily basis if needed. Justice Farooq noted that in the appeal of the Al-Azizia case, only that the sentence was suspended and its arguments on merit were never heard.

He added that he had heard the appeal in the Avenfield Apartments reference and had a few queries on his mind.
Advocate Parvez told the judge that NAB had failed to provide any evidence. The court then adjourned the hearing till November 27.