The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restored PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif appeals against his conviction in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references.
The court announced the judgement shortly after it reserved the verdict. It was announced by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.
In 2018, Nawaz was sentenced to 10 and 7 years in prison in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, respectively.
The three-time former prime minister was declared a proclaimed offender by the IHC in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases over non-compliance after he went to London for medical treatment with the court’s permission in November 2019.
Nawaz arrived in Islamabad from Dubai on a charter plane on Saturday, ending his four-year self imposed exile.
During today’s proceedings, Nawaz appeared before the court alongside his brother Shehbaz and other party leaders.
At the outset of the hearing, NAB Prosecutor General Ehtesham Qadir Shah stated that the court had directed the watchdog’s chairman to provide an opinion on the bail pleas. He informed the court, “We had an extensive discussion regarding the petitions.”
He further mentioned that NAB had no objections to restoring appeals against Nawaz’s conviction, affirming, “We will provide our opinion on the appeals once they are scheduled for a hearing.”
