ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended the sentences handed to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield corruption reference.
Soon after the court order, a large number of PML-N Chitral leaders and supporters and lawyers associated with the party gathered at PIA Chowk and distributed sweet.
Addressing the gathering, the PML-N leaders including Shahzada Khalid Pervez, Niaz A. Niazi adv, Ghulam Hazrat Inqilabi adv, Kausar adv and others declared the court order the victory of justice.
They said the cases against Mr Sharif and his family were politically motivated at at keeping the former prime minister out of power. They said people of Chitral were indebted to Nawaz Sharif for his development works for the backward area.
The high court of Islamabad issued the order after hearing the appeals by Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt Safdar against the verdict announced by the accountability court on July 6 and accepted their petitions, suspending their sentences in the meantime.
PML-N workers present in the courtroom started cheering as the IHC’s verdict was announced. It is pertinent to mention that the accountability court’s verdict stands; only the sentences of the three convicts have been suspended.
PML-N lawyers in #Chitral celebrate IHC's order to suspend Nawaz Sharif's sentence handed down by an accountability court in the Avenfield property case. GH Farooqui pic.twitter.com/PKUuhItkIN
— Chitral Today (@ChitralToday) September 19, 2018
The accountability court on July 6 had announced the verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption reference filed by NAB, handing the ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif 10 years as jail time for owning assets beyond known income and 1 year for not cooperating with NAB.
His daughter was given 7 years for abetment after she was found “instrumental in concealment of the properties of her father” and 1 year for non-cooperation with the bureau.
According to the verdict, she “aided, assisted, abetted, attempted and acted in conspiracy with her father”. “The trust deeds produced by the accused Maryam Nawaz were also found bogus,” the judgement had noted.
Nawaz’s son-in-law was given 1 year jail time — for not cooperating with NAB, and aiding and abetting Nawaz and Maryam.