LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday referred to the chief justice a petition against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif carrying money laundering charges, with a request to constitute a five-member full bench to hear the 24-year-old case.

Barrister Javed Iqbal Jafree had filed the petition in 1991 submitting that Nawaz shifted billions of rupees abroad.

He alleged that Mr Sharif misused his powers and made a number of appointments in violation of the merit.

He said the prime minister did not meet the criteria of being a member of parliament prescribed in Articles 62 & 63 of the Constitution.

In 2010, a bench headed by then chief justice Ijaz Chaudhry had heard the case and decided that a bench of not less than five judges should hear the matter.

Earlier, another division bench had also referred the petition to the chief justice for the formation of a full bench.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2015

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