ISLAMABAD: An Accountability Court (AC) of Islamabad Tuesday adjourned hearing of three references against Sharif family till December 4, without conducting any proceeding on request of defense side.
AC Judge Muhammad Bashir took up the graft references against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members for hearing, filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in compliance of Supreme Court orders in Panama papers case.
Former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law
Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar reached at judicial complex along their legal teams amid foolproof security arrangements in place.
Three further witnesses including Tayyab Moazzam, Umar Daraz and Mukhtar Ahmed were also in attendance before court. As the hearing began, the junior counsel for Nawaz Sharif requested the court to postpone hearing in three references till the Islamabad High Court (IHC) would announce its judgment in a plea regarding clubbing of three references for joint hearing.
He said the IHC would take approximately one week to announce its judgment in plea of former prime minister.
AC Judge Muhammad Bashir asked whether the petitioner had sought only one indictment in three references from IHC? The junior counsel said the petitioner had also requested the court to club at least two references for joint hearing.
The judge asked the junior counsel where was Defense Counsel Khwaja Harris? The junior counsel said Khwaja Harris was busy with the apex court and not able to attend the today’s proceeding in accountability court.
However, the NAB Deputy Prosecutor Sardar Muzafar Abbasi contended that the IHC had not granted stay order to halt the accountability court proceeding in graft references. The IHC had rather reserved its judgment in petition seeking to club all references.
He said the trial should be continue and requested the court to record the statements of the NAB witnesses. The junior defense counsel said they would ready to attend court proceeding for three consecutive days from next Monday if the court considered the proceeding was delayed due to defense side. He said the witnesses of prosecution side have been ended and they have now only the Investigation Officer as main witness.
The counsel for Maryam Nawaz, Amjad Pervaiz said that defense side also want early conclusion of the references. After hearing the arguments from both sides the court adjourned hearing of the references till December 4.
