Nawaz appears before accountability court again
August 28, 2018
ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated former premier Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday appeared again before an accountability court in Islamabad hearing the remaining two corruption references against him and his family.
Accountability court II Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik resumed hearing of Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references.
Nawaz's counsel Khawaja Harris is currently cross-questioning Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) head and prosecution's star witness Wajid Zia.
On Monday, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan ordered a six-week extension in the deadline for concluding the remaining two corruption references.
Judge Malik had submitted a written request to the Supreme Court seeking an extension to conclude the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references.
The trial
The trial against the Sharif family commenced on September 14, 2017.
On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference.
Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.
The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.
On July 10, the Supreme Court granted another six-week extension for Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir to conclude the remaining corruption references against Nawaz and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
