Al-Azizia reference: IHC to hear Nawaz Sharif's appeal against sentence on Dec 18

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s appeal on the sentence given in the Al-Azizia Reference on December 18, Geo News reported.

On January 1, Nawaz had filed an appeal in IHC, declaring the seven-year jail sentence given to him by an accountability court in the Al-Azizia reference as null and void.

According to the cause list issued by the court’s registrar, the case will be heard by a two-member bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.

Separately, the court will also hear National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) plea seeking an extension in the premier's sentence.

The accountability  watch-dog in its 12-page repose submitted to IHC had taken the stance that the former prime minister’s health was in no imminent danger.

The bureau had stated that the medical reports did not suggest a surgery anytime soon and the court had sentenced Nawaz keeping in view of his medical history.

Al-Azizia reference

On December 24, 2018, an accountability court had sentenced Nawaz to seven years in prison in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference.

In a short verdict announced, the court said there was concrete evidence against the former premier in the Al-Azizia reference and that he was unable to provide a money trail in the case.

The court ordered that Nawaz be "sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term of seven years along with a fine of Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million".