Lahore: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is set to make a significant legal appearance as he faces the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on October 24 in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia corruption references. His return to Pakistan on October 21 after over four years of self-exile has set the stage for this pivotal legal and political development.
Sharif’s legal team confirmed his court appearance, making this a highly anticipated event for both his supporters and critics. He is scheduled to leave for Murree on Monday, where he will hold crucial meetings with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership.
On October 24, Sharif will travel from Murree to Islamabad to attend the court hearing, and he plans to return to Murree the same day. Party sources suggest that he is expected to stay in Murree for two to three days.
The Avenfield and Al-Azizia references are at the center of the legal proceedings. These cases were filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against Sharif and his family in 2017 after his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal.
The Avenfield reference concerns the ownership of four luxury flats in London, for which Sharif received a 10-year prison sentence and a $10.5 million fine from an accountability court in 2018.
The Al-Azizia reference revolves around the establishment of Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment in Saudi Arabia. In this case, Sharif was sentenced to seven years in prison with a fine by the same court in 2018.
Sharif’s appeals against both convictions were dismissed by the IHC in 2019 due to his non-compliance, as he was receiving medical treatment abroad and failed to appear before the court.
In November 2019, the Supreme Court granted Sharif bail on humanitarian grounds, allowing him to travel to London for medical treatment.
Recently, the IHC granted Sharif protective bail in both references until October 24 after his lawyers filed petitions seeking the revival of his appeals. Notably, the NAB did not oppose these petitions.
In addition to these references, Sharif also faces another corruption case and allegations of misuse of authority in the Toshakhana reference. This case involves allegations of Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani receiving luxury vehicles and gifts from foreign dignitaries through the Toshakhana, a state repository of gifts. An accountability court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Sharif in this case in 2020, declaring him a proclaimed offender and ordering the confiscation of his assets, with directions to the NAB to arrest him through Interpol.
