ISLAMABAD: The accountability court may record the statement of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif on Thursday (today) in the Al-Azizia reference.

Accountability judge Arshad Malik prepared a questionnaire for Mr Sharif and handed it over to him on Wednesday. The judge also summoned Wajid Zia, the star prosecution witness in the Flagship Investment reference who was being cross-examined by the defence counsel.

The prosecution has already submitted an application before the judge regarding closing of evidence.

The next step in the criminal proceeding is recording of a statement of the accused under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The defence counsel requested the court to defer the recording of testimony. However, the prosecution pointed out that the court had already held that the proceedings in the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references would be conducted simultaneously.

Shahbaz’s transit remand in Ashiyana case extended to Nov 6

Subsequently, the court adjourned the proceedings till Thursday.

Judge Malik made it clear that the statement of Mr Sharif would be recorded in the presence of lead defence counsel Khawaja Haris Ahmed.

The charge-sheet against Mr Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference alleges that his Gulf Steel Mills sale agreement was found untrue and, therefore, he “committed an offence of corruption and corrupt practices as defined under section 9(a)(v) of NAO, 1999, punishable under Section 10 of the NAO, 1999”.

Meanwhile, accountability judge Mohammad Bashir extended the transit remand of the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif till Nov 6 in the Ashiyana-i-Iqbal housing case.

National Accounta­bility Bureau officials produced Mr Shahbaz before the court on Wednesday.

The PML-N leader requested the court to extend his transitory remand till Nov 9 when the current session of the National Assembly was scheduled to end.

But the NAB officials told the judge that the accountability court of Lahore had handed over custody of Mr Shahbaz to the bureau till Nov 7 and he was required to appear before the same court after expiry of his physical remand.

Subsequently, judge Bashir extended the remand till Nov 6.

Shahbaz Sharif is primarily accused of directing the Punjab Land Development Company to assign the Ashiyana project to the LDA, resulting in the award of contract to Lahore Casa Developers, causing a loss of Rs715 million and eventual failure of the project.

Fawad Hasan Fawad, a former principal secretary to the prime minister, and LDA’s ex-director general Ahad Khan Cheema, have been arrested in the Ashiyana case and are in jail on judicial custody.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2018