ISLAMABAD (January 14, 2019): The Supreme Court of Pakistan today dismissed the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeal against the suspension of the Sharif family’s sentences in the Avenfield reference.
A five-member bench led by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel heard the appeal.
Hon. Justice Asif Saeed Khosa observed that the bail has not been misused by the Sharif Family and that the order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is interim and will not affect the final order and that the Supreme Court will not revise the IHC order at this stage.
NAB had approached the Supreme court after the IHC, on September 19, suspended sentences of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield corruption reference and ordered their release.
The Sharifs had petitioned IHC against the Avenfield verdict, after an accountability court on July 6 convicted Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar in the Avenfield properties reference and sentenced them to 11 years, eight years and one year, respectively, in prison.
The Sharif family had filed appeals for the Avenfield verdict to be overturned on July 16.