ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz’s appeal against her conviction in the Avenfield reference after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor, Usman Ghani, fell ill.
The petition was filed by NAB’s prosecutor in Islamabad during the hearing of Maryam Nawaz’s appeal against her sentence. According to the petition, the prosecutor had a “high-grade fever with excruciating body aches and pains” and experienced a “loss of smell and taste”.
Therefore, he was advised not to travel and “observe bed rest” as the symptoms were similar to those of Covid. He was “unable to travel, personally attend and assist” the court on the hearing date. The petition requested that the court adjourn the hearing.
Subsequently, a two-member bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, adjourned the hearing till January 18.
Maryam Nawaz, Captain Safdar, Junaid Safdar and PML-N party leaders were also present in the court. Maryam’s lawyer, Irfan Qadir, and NAB prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi also appeared in the court.
Justice Amir Farooq maintained that Sardar Muzaffar should have informed Irfan Qadir earlier. However, the prosecutor maintained that he found out about Cheema’s ill-health on Monday evening. The court adjourned the case till January 18.
This is the second time the hearing was adjourned without any arguments. On November 24, the court had accepted the request filed by Maryam’s counsel, Advocate Irfan Qadir, to adjourn the hearing without any proceedings because of him being occupied with another case in the Supreme Court.
Last month, the IHC had directed the NAB to prove with evidence that Maryam was a beneficial owner of the Avenfield apartments. During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor argued that Maryam was the beneficial owner of the Avenfield apartments and had helped her father hide his ownership.
