ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan will resume hearing a petition filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) challenging suspension of prison terms of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam in a corruption reference.
NAB had filed the petition in the apex court last month challenging an earlier decision by the Islamabad High Court suspending sentences given to Nawaz, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield properties reference.
A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had heard the petition on October 24, and issued notices to the former premier and his daughter.
The court had observed that it would not take notice of the appeal against Safdar’s sentence suspension, since his prison term was only one year.
The NAB prosecutor in attendance had told the bench that the IHC order comprised of 43 pages.
To this, the chief justice had observed that the order should have taken 1.5-2 pages at the most. Ask anyone, if they have ever seen an order taking up as many as 43 pages, the top judge had remarked.
The bench had then adjourned the hearing of the petition till November 6 (today).
In its petition, NAB asked for the September 19 decision by IHC to be declared null and void, contending that the “IHC had failed to appreciate that through its order, it had seriously prejudiced the case of the prosecution by holding that the trial court judgement suffered from obvious and glaring defects and infirmities and that the convictions and sentences handed down to the accused might not be sustained ultimately.”
It prayed the apex court to restore the sentences awarded to the Sharifs and to cancel the bail granted to all the accused in the reference.
NAB had filed the petition in the apex court last month challenging an earlier decision by the Islamabad High Court suspending sentences given to Nawaz, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar in the Avenfield properties reference.
A three-member Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had heard the petition on October 24, and issued notices to the former premier and his daughter.
The court had observed that it would not take notice of the appeal against Safdar’s sentence suspension, since his prison term was only one year.
The NAB prosecutor in attendance had told the bench that the IHC order comprised of 43 pages.To this, the chief justice had observed that the order should have taken 1.5-2 pages at the most. Ask anyone, if they have ever seen an order taking up as many as 43 pages, the top judge had remarked.
The bench had then adjourned the hearing of the petition till November 6 (today).
In its petition, NAB asked for the September 19 decision by IHC to be declared null and void, contending that the “IHC had failed to appreciate that through its order, it had seriously prejudiced the case of the prosecution by holding that the trial court judgement suffered from obvious and glaring defects and infirmities and that the convictions and sentences handed down to the accused might not be sustained ultimately.”
It prayed the apex court to restore the sentences awarded to the Sharifs and to cancel the bail granted to all the accused in the reference.
