Accountability court summons Maryam Nawaz on July 19 in Avenfield case

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court summoned Pakistan Muslim League-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on July 19 in Avenfield reference.

The court’s judge Mohammad Bashir issued summons for Maryam Nawaz as, according to the National Accountability Bureau, the trust deeds produced by her in the case were bogus.

The NAB submitted a plea against Maryam Nawaz for trial on the basis of fake documents.

"The accused Maryam Nawaz was instrumental in concealment of the properties of (her) father Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. The accused maryam Nawaz aided, assisted, abetted. attempted and acted in conspiracy with her father accused Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif," NAB wrote in its appeal to the accountability court, quoting a portion of the court's earlier judgement dated 06-07-2018 in the Avenfield Apartments corruption reference.

Last year in September, the Islamabad High Court had suspended the sentences for Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) M Safdar in the Avenfield corruption reference.

On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the accountability court announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference. Nawaz, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar were sentenced to 11 years, eight years and one year, respectively, in prison.

Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The Avenfield properties reference was one of three filed by the NAB last year in light of the Supreme Court's verdict against Nawaz in the Panama Papers case. The reference pertains to the ownership of the Sharif family's apartments at Avenfield House, London.