ISLAMABAD: On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) released a notification to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regarding Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif’s pleas for protective bail in the Al-Azizia and Avenfiled cases.
Nawaz’s Protective Bail
Nawaz’s legal team submitted a protective bail plea to the IHC, aiming to prevent the authorities from apprehending him upon his return to the country on October 21.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb presided over the bail plea hearing and issued a notification to the anti-corruption agency, which had initiated the cases against the former PM.
Amjad Pervez, the lawyer for the PML-N leader, urged the IHC panel to grant protective bail to his client, as he intended to submit himself before the court.
The ex-prime minister, who served three terms, was labeled a proclaimed offender by the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases due to non-compliance. This was subsequent to his authorized trip to London for medical treatment in November 2019.
In the Avenfield and Al-Azizia trials, Nawaz received 10 and seven years of imprisonment, respectively, from an accountability court in 2018.
His challenges against the verdicts were rejected by the IHC panel consisting of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Mohsin Akhtar Kayani due to non-compliance.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) granted a suspension of Nawaz’s sentence in the Al-Azizia case in 2019 on medical grounds. He was then given permission to travel to London for treatment, after which he did not return.
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The PML-N leader was also labeled a proclaimed offender in the Toshakhana case, and a separate bail plea has been lodged in an accountability court.
The former Prime Minister’s three applications for protective bail sought the IHC’s guidance in preventing authorities from apprehending Nawaz at the airport upon his arrival in the country on October 21, allowing him to present himself before the court.
IHC Notice to NAB: Court Orders
It’s important to mention that a court responsible for accountability issued the three-time prime minister’s sentence in connection with Avenfield and Al-Azizia Steel Mills references back in 2018.
The verdict was contested in the superior court, which subsequently put a halt to the accountability court’s decision.
The process of lodging an appeal against the sentences was underway when Nawaz went abroad for medical treatment and did not come back to pursue the case.
The head of PML-N, following his transfer to Lahore High Court (LHC) instead of IHC, received permission to travel overseas for a span of four weeks. This was granted after his brother and party leader, Shehbaz Sharif, presented an assurance in court ensuring Nawaz’s return once his health improved.
In the absence of the PML-N leader, IHC dismissed the appeals on grounds of ‘non-prosecution’ rather than postponing the proceedings indefinitely.
The court, while labeling Nawaz as a declared fugitive, observed that the rejections of the appeals were based on technicalities and not on the substance of the arguments.
Upon his return, the applicant may once again file an appeal against the sentence, the court appended.