The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has opted to review the appeal of Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), challenging his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference on its merits.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb, presided over the hearing, the same bench that had previously acquitted Sharif in the Avenfield reference on November 29.
Accompanied by his legal team and senior party leaders, Nawaz Sharif appeared in court. During the proceedings, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) urged the IHC to remand the appeal back to the accountability court, a request that the court rejected, affirming its decision to hear the case based on merit.
Nawaz Sharif had previously been convicted in both the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references by the accountability court. However, the IHC acquitted him in the Avenfield reference earlier in the week.
In the Avenfield case, the accountability court had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to a 10-year jail term, accompanied by an eight-million-Pound fine, while the Al-Azizia reference resulted in a 7-year sentence and fines totaling Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million. Furthermore, Sharif was disqualified from holding public office for 10 years.
In 2019, the Lahore High Court (LHC) suspended his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference on medical grounds, allowing him to travel to London for medical treatment. Subsequently, in December 2020, the IHC declared him a proclaimed offender in both cases.
Upon his return from the UK, Nawaz Sharif filed two separate applications seeking the restoration of his appeals against convictions in both references. The IHC’s decision to hear the Al-Azizia reference appeal on its merits marks a significant development in Sharif’s legal proceedings.
