The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a petition on Thursday in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s bail in the Avenfield reference.
NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi filed the petition seeking cancellation of bail. The petition maintained that the former prime minister is a convict in the Avenfield reference and is absconding from the court. Further, the court was requested to order the home and foreign secretaries to perform their respective duties in this regard in accordance with the law.
NAB argues Nawaz deserves no concession after fleeing abroad
The petition stated that the IHC had granted bail to Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference in 2018 and the court had suspended his sentence. While the Supreme Court (SC) upheld the high court’s decision to suspend the former premier’s sentence, Nawaz Sharif misused the suspension and bail.
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The prosecutor for NAB argued that Nawaz Sharif was not deserving of this concession anymore since he went abroad. On September 1, the former premier Nawaz Sharif had assured the IHC of his return to Pakistan as soon as he recuperates and maintained that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, his treatment in London had been subjected to delay.
The PML-N supremo had filed an application in the IHC seeking exemption from appearance in the hearing of his appeal against his conviction in the Avenfield reference. The Islamabad Accountability Court-I had sentenced Nawaz to 10-year imprisonment in Avenfield case in July 2018, while the Islamabad Accountability Court-II had sentenced him to seven-year jail term in Al-Azizia case in December 2018.
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An IHC bench granted bail to Nawaz in the Avenfield case in September 2018. The same court on October 29, 2019 granted him an eight-week bail also in Al-Azizia case in view of his deteriorating health condition. NAB has now filed petition in IHC seeking cancellation of bail granted to Nawaz Sharif.
GVS News Desk with additional input by other sources