The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has acquitted PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif of the charges in the Avenfield Apartments references.
A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb heard Nawaz's appeals against his sentence in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases. He had been sentenced to 10 years in prison in the Avenfield Apartments case.
Nawaz Sharif was present in court along with his legal team.
Moreover, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) also decided to withdraw its appeal against Nawaz’s acquittal in the Flagship reference, which it filed earlier in the day.
The court then disposed of the appeal on being withdrawn. The NAB had also planned to appeal for extending the former premier’s sentence in the Al-Azizia reference.
At the previous hearing, responding to the court's query about the origins of the presented facts, Nawaz's lawyer Amjad Pervaiz clarified that three facts predated the reference filing, while the rest were subsequent.
Also Read: Nawaz Sharif's corruption appeals postponed till Wednesday
Drawing upon the Supreme Court's (SC) ruling in the Panama Papers case, which led to Nawaz's disqualification, Pervaiz reminded the court of the establishment of a joint investigation team (JIT) in response to the verdict.
Justice Aurangzeb questioned the relevance of Pervaiz's arguments. In response, the counsel provided the court with details about the JIT's formation and members.
He informed the IHC that the JIT submitted a comprehensive 12-volume report to the apex court in July 2017.
Following the presentations of the involved parties, the court issued its final verdict on July 28, 2017, disqualifying Nawaz.
Justice Aurangzeb sought clarity from Pervaiz regarding the specific orders issued by the SC. He inquired whether the SC had provided directives to the NAB chairman.
