NAB moves SC against IHC order to take up Sharifs’ pleas

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Saturday assailed in the Supreme Court, the order of Islamabad High Court allowing the Sharif family’s pleas seeking suspension of their sentences in the Avenfield reference instead of hearing first their criminal appeals.

The anti-graft body, through its chairman, filed a petition in the apex court for leave to appeal under Article 185(3) of the Constitution against the order passed by Islamabad High Court on September 10, 2018.

NAB prayed to the apex court to grant leave to appeal against the order passed by the learned Islamabad High Court on September 10 and the same may be set aside and the learned Appellate Court may be directed to take up the appeals first.

On July 6, accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir had sentenced Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (R) Safdar to 10 years, seven years and one year, respectively, in prison due to the Avenfield properties case.

The judgement disqualified Maryam Nawaz and Captain (R) Safdar from contesting elections for 10 years each.

The sentence and a fine of eight million pounds or $10.6 million came almost a year after the Supreme Court removed Sharif from office and less than five months after the court barred him from holding office for life.

Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (R) Mohammad Safdar had assailed the judgement of July 6 in the Islamabad High Court through appeals.

Meanwhile, the convicted Sharif family filed writ petitions for suspension of sentences passed in the judgement dated July 6, 2018. The Division Bench of the Islamabad High Court passed an order dated August 20, 2018, for fixation of main appeals which were eventually fixed for arguments on September 10, 2018.