IHC transfers Al-Azizia, Flagship cases to other court

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the transfer of Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment cases against the Sharif family to another court.

A division bench of the court, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, issued the short order. During the hearing, former PM’s counsel Khawaja Haris argued that the references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the Sharif family had common witnesses.

The Accountability Court-1 Judge Muhammad Bashir has already disclosed his opinion on crucial aspects in all the three references. Haris produced a number of judgments in support of his arguments.

He said there is a reasonable apprehension in the mind of the accused that the judge might have a conscious or unconscious pre-disposition about the factual aspects of the case, which are common to all the three references and were finally and conclusively decided in the Avenfield case, which may tend to prejudice the accused.

The NAB Deputy Prosecutor-General, Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, requested the court to let the same accountability court decide the two references in the interest of justice, as he has heard all the references against Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) Safdar.

The prosecution contended that the defence had requested for a joint testimony of witnesses in all the three corruption references against the Sharif family. "The defence counsel cannot cross-examine joint witnesses," Abbasi said. The NAB prosecutor further noted that the statements of 342 accused in the case are yet to be recorded, adding: "The defence will have time to make its case during the proceedings."