Nawaz Sharif, a three-time Prime Minister and the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) returned to Pakistan on Saturday after spending four years in self-imposed exile in London. Upon his return, Sharif took action by signing applications to reinstate pending appeals against his convictions in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia corruption cases.
At the age of 73, Sharif arrived at the Islamabad International Airport and signed these applications. These applications, skillfully prepared by his legal team, are set to be submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench, and they are expected to be heard on October 24, as confirmed by a PML-N lawyer who spoke with Dawn newspaper.
In addition to the applications, Sharif's legal team is also planning to present a petition requesting protective bail. On the same day, Sharif is scheduled to appear before an accountability court.
Previously, the former prime minister faced convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, and he was declared a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana vehicle case, which is pending before an Islamabad accountability court. He had been granted bail in these cases when he departed for the UK in 2019 on medical grounds.
On July 6, 2018, just days before the general elections, an accountability court judge, Muhammad Bashir, convicted Sharif, along with his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif, and her husband, Captain Safdar Awan, in the Avenfield Apartments case. This case had been investigated by a six-member joint investigation team formed to scrutinize the Panama Papers revelations.
Although an Islamabad High Court division bench virtually cleared Sharif in the Avenfield apartments case, characterizing the accountability court's decision as "not correct," Sharif's status as an absconder meant that he was not absolved of the charges, despite the court's observation of a lack of substantial evidence against him, as reported.
The detailed court order emphasized that the prosecution had failed to prove that Sharif had acquired the Avenfield Apartments through corrupt and illegal means and that Maryam, his dependent, had aided and abetted him by concealing the true ownership. Furthermore, the prosecution had to establish that Sharif was a public office-holder at the time of acquiring the properties. However, the court order stated that there was no evidence on record to support these claims.
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