ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will announce the verdict on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s plea to club all his National Accountability Bureau references on December 4.
A two-member bench heard the cases, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, and the verdict was reserved on November 23. The court also issued the cause list of three pleas of Nawaz Sharif.
IHC reserves decision on Nawaz’s plea to club NAB references Nawaz is facing three corruption references in the accountability court filed by NAB in light of the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case which led to his disqualification.
The accountability court on November 8 had again dismissed Nawaz’s plea seeking the clubbing of three references into one, which was later challenged in the IHC.
At the hearing on November 20, Nawaz’s lawyer pointed out similarities between the Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment references, pleading that they be combined.
Nawaz’s counsel Azam Nazir Tarar argued before the two-member bench that the accountability court had noted the similarities between the references.
He stated that the three individuals named as accused in both references are the same, adding that of the 13 witnesses in both references, six are the same.
The lawyer told the bench that the accountability court had decided against clubbing the three references ─ Avenfield, Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment ─ without waiting for the IHC verdict on the matter.
The bench then reserved its decision after hearing NAB’s version on the matter. On November 14, the IHC had sent notices to NAB on the petition.
Nawaz’s petition pleads the IHC to direct the accountability court “to frame one charge and conduct a single trial” against the Sharif family in the three corruption references.
Nawaz’s petition pleads the IHC to direct the accountability court “to frame one charge and conduct a single trial” against the Sharif family in the three corruption references.
