Sharifs’ corruption trial: Court decides to seek another extension in deadline

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court hearing the remaining two corruption references against the Sharif family on Tuesday decided to write a letter to the Supreme Court to seek another extension in the deadline to conclude the cases.

Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik heard the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references today. Former premier Nawaz Sharif appeared before the court for the hearing.

As the hearing went under way, a dialogue took place between Judge Malik and Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris over the matter of the former premier recording his statement under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

“Lets record Mian Sb’s statement today,” the judge remarked. However, Haris said, “We should start recording Nawaz’s statement from tomorrow.”

“The questions are complex but do not have reservations to that. For the statement, we have to review the entire record and should be given time till tomorrow,” Nawaz’s counsel added.

Accepting Haris’s request, the judge said, “Record as much of Nawaz’s statement as you can tomorrow.”

“We have to write a letter to the Supreme Court regarding an extension in the deadline of the trial,” Judge Malik further said. We will send Nawaz’s record along with the letter, he added.

The accountability court judge further said, “We will apprise the top court regarding the progress on the case along with the letter.” 

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.