ISLAMABAD: Former
prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to a total of 11 years in
prison and slapped a £8 million fine (Rs1.3 billion) in the Avenfield
properties reference on Friday while his daughter Maryam was sentenced
to eight years with a £2 million fine (Rs335 million).
The
sentences will run concurrently, which means Nawaz will serve 10 years
in prison, while Maryam seven. Additionally, Nawaz's son-in-law Capt
(retd) Safdar has been given a one year sentence without any fine.
Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir announced the verdict today after several delays since morning.
Moreover, Nawaz's sons Hassan and Hussain who have
been absconding in the case were declared as "proclaimed offenders" and
the court ordered non-bailable perpetual warrants of arrest against
them.
The court has also ruled that the Avenfield
apartments of the Sharif family, in their possession since 1993, shall
be seized by the federal government.
"Avenfield
Apartments Nos 16, 16-a, 17 and 17-a stand forfeited to Federal
Government within the meaning of 10(a) of NAO, 1999," according to the
written verdict.
The Avenfield properties reference
was one of three filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) last
year in light of the Supreme Court's verdict against Nawaz in the Panama
Papers case. The reference pertains to the ownership of the Sharif
family's apartments at Avenfield House, London.
Moreover, after
the hearing, NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said
the accused have 10 days to file an appeal against the verdict.
In
the written order of the court, the Supreme Court's Panama Papers case
verdict and work of the joint investigation team has been referred to,
along with an interview of Nawaz's son Hussain wherein he accepted
ownership of the London properties.
Maryam, Safdar barred from elections
Following
the verdict, Maryam and Safdar stand barred from contesting the July
general election from Lahore and Mansehra, respectively.
Following
the verdict, the Election Commission of Pakistan stated that Maryam's
name will be removed from the ballot papers of the NA-127 constituency
after which new ballot papers will be printed.
'Will return after wife regains consciousness'
Nawaz Sharif has vowed to return to Pakistan after his wife regains consciousness."It is my wish to speak to her [Kulsoom]. I [go to the hospital] every day with the hope that she regains consciousness and I am able to meet here. She has been my life partner for 45 years. This partnership is no ordinary partnership,” said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz supremo while addressing a press conference sitting alongside his daughter Maryam Nawaz, who has been sentenced to a total of eight years in jail.
All eyes on accountability court
All
eyes were set on the accountability court hearing the high-profile
corruption cases against the former prime minister and his family.
Strict security arrangements, including paramilitary personnel, were in
place at the Federal Judicial Complex, where the court is located. The
roads leading to the complex were also closed to traffic.
Moreover, the district administration had imposed Section 144 in the capital to discourage mass gatherings.As the hearing went under way today, Judge Bashir heard Sharifs' request, submitted on Thursday, requesting the trial court to postpone the verdict till he is back in the country next week.
After submitting Begum Kulsoom Nawaz's medical report, Maryam's counsel Amjad Pervez argued that the law stipulates the presence of the accused when the verdict is read out. After the prosecution opposed any delay at such a late stage of the trial, the judge reserved his verdict and adjourned the hearing for an hour.
Later, the court dismissed Sharifs' plea and set 12:30pm as the time for announcing the verdict. However, that deadline was later extended thrice — 2:30pm, 3pm and 3:30pm — before it was finally read out after 4pm.
The judge had called
lawyers of both sides inside his chambers and disallowed the media. He
then stated that the media will be called in when the judgment is being
read out.
Earlier, the judge, present inside his
chamber, had issued the delay notices through the court staff but the
3:30 pm deadline was informed of by the judge himself. He explained that
they have to make an appropriate number of photocopies of the judgment
for distribution to the relevant parties.
Safdar vows to stand firm
Speaking
to voters prior to the verdict, Safdar said he does not fear any
verdict against him, adding that he will be exonerated in the court of
public opinion.
On Tuesday, the court had reserved its
verdict and ordered all accused to ensure their presence in court when
the verdict is read out today.
Apart from Nawaz, Maryam and
Safdar, Nawaz's sons are also accused in the case. They were declared
proclaimed offenders last year owing to their no-show and will face a
separate trial whenever they join the proceedings.The accused have been charged as per the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, according to which they face maximum jail terms of 14 years and/or a fine, each.
The trial
The trial against the Sharif family commenced on September 14, 2017, under the supervision of Supreme Court Justice Ijazul Ahsan, who was appointed a monitoring judge in the Panama case verdict.
During
the course of the trial, spread over 107 hearings, a total of 18
prosecution witnesses recorded their statements, including the Panama
case joint investigation team (JIT) head, Federal Investigation Agency's
Wajid Zia.
It was the Zia-led JIT's report which the
Supreme Court used last year as a basis for Nawaz's disqualification and
further investigation of the Sharif family's assets.
After his statement was recorded, the defence counsels cross-examined Zia for around two weeks.
The
prosecution also recorded statements of two witnesses through
video-link from London — private solicitor Akhtar Raja and forensic
expert Robert Radley — whose expertise was utilised by the JIT during
its probe.
Nawaz and Maryam attended the majority of hearings, skipping a few as they visited London in between to spend time with Begum Kulsoom Nawaz.
Safdar, however, attended nearly all the proceedings.
The apex court had directed the trial court to conclude the cases in six months. However, the court has only concluded proceedings of the Avenfield reference despite two deadline extensions — the latest one being July 10.
The other two corruption references — Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment and offshore companies including Flagship Investment Limited — have yet to conclude.
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