Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment cases against Sharifs: SC gives ‘final’ extension to wrap up references

LAHORE: The Supreme Court on Monday granted ‘final’ extension of three weeks to the accountability court No-II at Islamabad to wrap up two references –Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment-- against Sharif family.

A two-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, made it clear that no further extension would be granted and the trial court would have to conclude both trials before the expiry of the deadline. The Supreme Court had initially set a six-month deadline to conclude the four corruption references against the Sharif family.

The trial against the Sharif family started on September 14, 2017. The trial judge, Arshad Malik, had filed an application seeking extension in the deadline pleading that the references were about to conclude. However, he said, it was not possible to close the trial within the deadline previously given by the apex court. During the proceedings, deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s counsel, Khawaja Haris, requested the bench to extend the deadline given to wrap up the cases of Al-Azizia and Flagship. The SC accepted his request and gave time to conclude the case against the Sharifs.

The Supreme Court had on October 12 last granted extension to the accountability court to conclude the references by November 17. On July 6, afterfour extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference against the Sharif family handing down 11-year imprisonment to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, eight years to his daughter Maryam Nawaz and one-year to her husband Capt(r) Muhammad Safdar.

However, after spending nearly two months in jail, all three were granted bail. Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only. The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.