Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to surrender before court till September 9th in Avenfield case.
Two member IHC bench including Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Akhtar Kayani on Tuesday (today) heard petitions filed by Maryam Nawaz Sharif and her husband Muhammad Safdar Awan against their convictions in Avenfield reference.
During the hearing the court directed Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) founder Nawaz Sharif to appear before the court till September 9th.
“We are not declaring Nawaz Sharif an absconder. We are giving him an opportunity to surrender before the court,” remarked Justice Aamer Farooq.
Meanwhile, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani said that Nawaz Sharif may face up to additional three-year imprisonment if he is declared as an absconder as skipping court appearances is also a crime.
The case has been adjourned till September 10th.
It is pertinent to know that Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 11-year imprisonment along with an Rs 1.3 billion fine, whereas his daughter Maryam Nawaz was sentenced to eight years in prison with an Rs 35 million fine in Avenfield properties reference against them back in 2018.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed Avenfield reference against Nawaz Sharif and others after the revelations of Panama Papers.
The anti-graft watchdog had accused Sharif and his family of establishing Offshores companies to manage/acquire expensive properties /any movement of funds to hide the real sources of funds.
