ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif’s appeal on the sentence given in the Al-Azizia reference was fixed for hearing on December 18
Two member bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) consisting of Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, will hear the appeal filed by former prime minister against the Accountability Court’s judgment in Al-Azizia reference, stated in the cause list issued by the August Court’s registrar.
On January 1, 2019, the former premier had filed an appeal in IHC, declaring the seven-year jail sentence given to him by an accountability court in the Al-Azizia reference as null and void.
Separately, the court will also hear National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea seeking an extension in the premier Nawaz Sharif’s sentence.
NAB in its 12-page repose submitted to IHC had taken the stance that the former prime minister’s health was in no imminent danger.
The bureau had stated that the medical reports did not suggest a surgery anytime soon and the court had sentenced Nawaz keeping in view of his medical history.
It is worthy to be mentioned here that on December 24, 2018, an accountability court had sentenced Nawaz to seven years in prison in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference.
In a short verdict announced, the court said there was concrete evidence against the former premier in the Al-Azizia reference and that he was unable to provide a money trail in the case.
The court ordered that Nawaz be “sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term of seven years along with a fine of Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million”.
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