IHC reserves decision on Nawaz's plea to club NAB references

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GEO NEWS
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ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its decision on deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif's plea to combine the three National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) references against him. 

The hearing by the two-member bench, headed by Justice Aamer Farooq, reserved its decision after hearing the arguments presented by the defence and prosecution. 

A cause list will be issued by the court announcing the date of the judgment at a later date. 

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 last 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.