ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will resume hearing of the appeal of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against his conviction in the Al-Azizia reference on Sept 18.

The IHC’s registrar office has fixed Mr Sharif’s appeal along with another appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against his acquittal in the Flagship Investment reference.

Accountability judge Mohammad Arshad Malik, who has recently been removed from his position over video leaks, authored verdicts in both cases on Dec 24, 2018.

These references were filed before the accountability court by NAB on the directives of the Supreme Court and an apex court judge Justice Ijazul Ahsan was supervising the trial proceedings.

Judge Arshad Malik, who has been removed over video scandal, authored verdicts in both references against Nawaz

The apex court had constituted a six-member joint investigation team (JIT), comprising officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) NAB, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Military Intelligence (MI), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and State Bank of Pakistan.

The JIT conducted the probe on disclosures of Panama Leaks and after due deliberations the court removed Mr Sharif from the prime minister’s position and also ordered NAB to file three references against the Sharif family and one against then finance minister Ishaq Dar.

Accountability judge Mohammad Bashir on July 6, 2018 convicted Mr Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in the Avenfield properties reference. The IHC, however, suspended the sentence.

Interestingly, NAB has filed an application against Maryam Nawaz for submitting a forged trust deed in the Avenfield reference after she released to media a secretly recorded video of judge Malik in which he purportedly confessed to convicting Mr Sharif under duress. The following day the judge refuted the allegations levelled by Ms Maryam and termed the video fake.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2019