Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appeared in the Islamabad High Court for the ongoing appeals related to the Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills cases.
His lawyer, Amjad Pervaiz, argued that the Panama JIT was established following the Supreme Court’s decision, presenting its report on July 10, 2017.
This report led to the disqualification of the Prime Minister on July 28, prompting the Supreme Court to direct NAB to file references within six weeks. The Avenfield reference included Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz, Hasan Nawaz, and retired Captain Safdar. Subsequently, the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference was filed against Nawaz Sharif, Hussain, and Hasan Nawaz. During NAB cross-examination, it was acknowledged that filing a reference was the only recourse. The accountability court was mandated to decide within six months. While Nawaz Sharif was acquitted in the flagship reference, he received a seven-year sentence in the Al-Azizia case and a ten-year sentence in the Avenfield case. NAB has filed an appeal seeking an increased sentence in the Al-Azizia case.
