ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday overturned the conviction of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband, Captain Safdar in the Avenfield case handed to them in 2018 by an accountability court.
A two-member bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, presided over today’s hearing during which the court heard arguments from both sides.
During today’s hearing, Justice Farooq noted that the Sharif family claimed to have purchased the houses in 2006. He said, “Despite their admission, Nawaz is not connected [to the case].
Justice Kayani further noted that the NAB had built its entire case against Maryam on the basis of these papers. “There is no [reference] of Nawaz in the entire case by the NAB,” Justice Farooq said.
According to Justice Farooq, just because a property is registered in a daughter’s name does not mean that the father necessarily owns it.
The NAB prosecutor claimed that the Sharif family had not offered any corroborating evidence.
Justice Farooq then questioned why they had even bothered to produce any documentation. The NAB had to prove [the case against them].
Justice Kayani continued, “They ought to have remained silent.”
Justice Farooq said, “Even then, the prosecution has to show [the case against them] if they admit while in the rostrum that they were the owners of the properties. He claimed that while NAB’s argument might be sound, it was not supported by evidence.
The PML-N leader praised the decision and said that their position was “vindicated” in a statement made outside of court. She began her media interview while speaking on the phone with her father, pausing in the middle to take a call from her uncle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, both congratulated Maryam on her triumph.
Avenfiled Reference
The Sharif family was found guilty in the Avenfield apartment case on July 6, a few weeks before the 2018 elections, by the accountability judge of Islamabad, who was acting under the direction of an apex court judge.
The National Accountability Bureau sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison for having assets over his known income and one year for refusing to cooperate (NAB). Maryam, meanwhile, received a 7-year sentence for aiding and abetting and a 1-year sentence for refusing to cooperate with the bureau after being deemed “helpful in concealing the properties of her father.”
Safdar received a one-year sentence in prison for his refusal to cooperate with the NAB and for helping Nawaz and Maryam.
The Sharif family had filed appeals against its conviction before the IHC in the second week of August 2018. The court had on Sep 18 the same year suspended their sentences and released them on bail.
