Sharifs files plea with NAB court to put off Avenfield case verdict

ISLAMABAD - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz filed on Thursday a petition with the accountability court to defer the decision in the Avenfield reference for seven days.

The plea was filed by Advocate Zafar Khan while a medical certificate of ailing Begum Kulsoom Nawaz has also been attached.

Nawaz said that he was staying in London as her wife is unwell and has been placed on a ventilator at London's Harley Street clinic, adding that he will return to Pakistan as soon as Kulsoom's health improves.

The three-time former premier said that the verdict should be announced in their presence.

On July 3, Judge Muhammad Bashir reserved verdict in the case pertains to the upscale London flats of the Sharif family and it took the accountability court ten months to complete its proceedings, with allegations of unnecessary trial speedup and unjust conduct.

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As many as three references were filed against the members of Sharif family, in line with the directives of the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.

Nawaz Sharif and his sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three references – Hill Metal establishment, London flats and offshore firms –  whereas his daughter Maryam and son-in-law MNA Capt (retd) Safdar are named in the Avenfield reference only.

Nawaz’s counsel Khawja Harris had completed his concluding arguments in the London flats case, while counsel for Maryam and Safdar ended the final arguments in today’s hearing.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which had filed all the three reference against Sharifs, decided to not file the response to the final arguments submitted by the counsels for the suspects.

The court, therefore, reserved the decision on Monday and it would be announced coming Friday, weeks before the general elections are set to be held in Pakistan.

The accused in the case did not appear before the court in recent hearings as they are in London to visit the ailing Begum Kulsoom Nawaz, who has been placed on a ventilator in after her health deteriorated.

On Monday, the court granted a two-day exemption to former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.