ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday gave a sixth extension to the accountability court to conclude proceedings in the remaining two references against ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

The apex court bench — headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar — while extending the deadline to conclude the reference till Nov 17 remarked that the accountability judge would be inquired in case he failed to conclude the trial proceedings in Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references.

Lead defence counsel for the ex-premier, Khawaja Haris Ahmed, informed the bench that the prosecution had closed its evidence in Al-Azizia reference while the testimonies of star prosecution witness Wajid Zia and the investigation officer of the flagship reference were yet to be recorded.

Earlier on July 6, the accountability court convicted Mr Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield properties reference.

On July 28 last year, the Supreme Court while accepting the petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and other political rivals of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, had removed Mr Sharif from the office of prime minister and directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file three references against the Sharif family. Subsequently, NAB in September that year filed three references — Avenfield properties, Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment — against the ex-premier.

The accountability judge Mohammad Arshad Malik has summoned Mr Zia for recording of testimony in Flagship Investment reference on Monday.

The defence counsel on the other hand filed an application requesting the court to re-summon the investigation officer in Al-Azizia reference. The defence counsel told the court that they wanted to ask a few additional questions from the investigation officer.

The court will take up the application on Monday.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2018