Nawaz Sharif made an appearance at the Islamabad High Court as the hearing for appeals against his convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia NAB references continued.
Express News reported that the former prime minister and leader of the Muslim League (N), Nawaz Sharif, has filed appeals against the sentences in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references. A special bench, comprising Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb, is presiding over the appeals.
Representing Nawaz Sharif, lawyers Amjad Parvez and Azam Nazir Tarar appeared in court. Tarar mentioned they’ve organized a sequence for argumentation, intending to begin with the Avenfield reference, followed by the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
When asked about the duration needed for arguments by the Chief Justice, Amjad Parvez Advocate stated that a decision on the co-accused’s acquittal in the Avenfield reference was made on merit, and as it wasn’t challenged in the Supreme Court, it became final.
Chief Justice Amir Farooq mentioned hearing Maryam Nawaz’s appeal and Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb’s consideration of Nawaz Sharif’s sentence suspension request. Additionally, the Chief Justice inquired if 6 to 8 hours would suffice for arguments regarding the Avenfield case.
Regarding the time required by NAB, the Chief Justice asked the NAB prosecutor, who responded that their arguments would be limited to half an hour, focusing solely on presenting legal points.
It’s worth noting that Nawaz Sharif had previously received sentences from the accountability court in the Al-Azizia and Avenfield references. Since 2018, Sharif has been contesting the accountability court’s decisions, with the court reinstating his appeals upon his return to Pakistan from abroad.