Nawaz’s sons acquitted in NAB cases

Court finds Hassan and Hussain not guilty in three references filed against them in 2017

ISLAMABAD:

An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday acquitted former premier Nawaz Sharif's sons, Hassan and Hussain, in the Avenfield apartments, Flagship investment, and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases.

Earlier, PML-N supremo Nawaz, his daughter and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and her spouse Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar were found not guilty in the case of the Avenfield apartments on November 29 last year filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on July 2017 in light of the Supreme Court’s order as well.

On the same date, NAB withdrew its appeal against an accountability court’s verdict to acquit the PML-N supremo in the Flagship reference.

Later, the Islamabad High Court acquitted Nawaz in the Al-Azizia case on December 12, 2023.

Apart from the Avenfield apartments, the SC had also ordered the anti-graft body to file the Flagship and Al-Azizia Steel Mills references against Nawaz and his sons.

On Tuesday, the accountability court, headed by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, announced its verdict reserved earlier in the day.

During the hearing, NAB prosecutor Afzal Qureshi informed the court that no appeal was filed against the acquittal of Nawaz's sons or his daughter Maryam.

He added that the main accused in the case had been acquitted earlier.

The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Qazi Misbah, told the court that the IHC had exonerated Nawaz after relying on the same documents that supported Maryam’s acquittal.

Misbah read the short decision of Nawaz’s acquittal in the court.

Read: Nawaz sons' arrest warrants temporarily lifted

He said NAB had not filed an appeal against the exoneration of Maryam as if the main accused in the case was acquitted, the case could proceed on the charge of aiding and abetting.

In the Flagship reference, he continued that the PML-N supremo was acquitted by the trial court as NAB had withdrawn its appeal against its decision.

“The third case was the Al-Azizia reference. The Islamabad High Court acquitted Nawaz in the Al-Azizia case,” the counsel added.

“NAB did not even appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision to acquit Nawaz. Even if all the evidence is accepted, there is no chance of sentencing.”

The NAB prosecutor told the court that the anti-graft body had withdrawn its appeal to increase the sentence in the Al-Azizia reference.

Earlier, the same court granted Nawaz’s sons major relief by revoking its earlier order that declared them as proclaimed offenders and cancelling their permanent arrest warrants.

The court also admitted the plea for their acquittal and directed NAB to present the entire record of the cases.

Hassan and Hussain were granted relief after they surrendered themselves before the accountability court judge.

The brothers had returned to Pakistan on March 12 after the same judge suspended their arrest warrants on March 7.