ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) made a crucial decision on Wednesday, absolving former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the Avenfield reference, marking a significant development benefiting the PML-N.
This judgment was delivered by a two-member bench led by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb concerning Nawaz’s challenge against his conviction in the case.
Back in July 2018, an accountability court sentenced the PML-N leader to 10 years in prison in the Avenfield properties corruption reference due to possessing assets that exceeded his known income, alongside an additional one-year term for failing to cooperate with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). These sentences were to run concurrently.
The IHC had declared him a proclaimed offender in December 2020 in connection to this case. Nawaz had departed for London citing medical reasons and stayed there for approximately four years, returning to the country only last month.
Upon his return from the UK, the PML-N leader submitted an application requesting the revival of his appeal against the conviction. He argued that during his medical treatment abroad, the pending appeals were dismissed due to lack of prosecution. The plea urged the court to reinstate the pending appeal for a fair judgment based on its merits. Last month, the IHC reinstated the particular appeal under consideration.
Today, the court overturned the accountability court’s decision and upheld Nawaz’s appeal.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
