IHC reserves decision on NAB's plea against Capt (retd) Safdar's bail
December 14, 2017
ISLAMABAD: A two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved its decision on National Accountability Bureau (NAB)'s plea seeking the dismissal of bail granted to MNA Capt (retd) Safdar in a corruption case.
Safdar is the son-in-law of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and faces a corruption reference in the accountability court alongside Nawaz.
Safdar appeared in court around 11am today after being summoned by the divisional bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani.
During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor presented arguments favouring the cancellation of Safdar's bail.
Meanwhile, during the hearing, the court came down hard on Safdar for using his mobile phone. The lawmaker's phone was confiscated and returned only after he apologise following the hearing.
In the previous hearing, NAB had contended that the accountability court did not have the authority to release Safdar on bail, and pleaded that the court's order rejecting their request to send him to Adiala Jail be rescinded.
On November 3, NAB challenged the accountability court's order granting bail to Safdar in the Avenfield properties case.
Safdar was taken into custody by NAB officials after he and his wife Maryam arrived in Islamabad from London to attend the corruption hearing against them on October 9.
The court had issued non-bailable warrants against him after he had been a no-show in the previous three hearings of the case, filed by NAB in light of the Supreme Court's July 28 judgment in the Panama Papers case.
On October 9, the court approved Maryam and Safdar's bail and ordered them to submit surety bonds worth Rs5 million each.
