RAWALPINDI, Oct 7: A special judge here on Tuesday put off till November 11 the hearing in an application of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) about reopening three corruption references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family.
Special Judge Central Shaukat Ali Sajid, who has been directed by the law ministry to hear the urgent matters relating to NAB as there was no judge available in four accountability courts, observed that he could not reopen cases or summon the accused as proceedings in the cases could be carried out only by the relevant judge.
NAB through its deputy prosecutor general had moved the court against the August 21 decision of the Accountability Court No. IV judge when he adjourned sine die the three corruption references against the Sharif family.
The NAB maintained in its application that the accountability court could not adjourn the hearings for an indefinite period.
On Tuesday when the hearing started the bureau’s lawyer said the court should set aside the decision of the accountability court, but the judge observed that he had not been authorised to conduct the trails in NAB cases.
According to details, the corruption references were filed by the NAB chairman Islamabad on July 15, 2000.
In Hudabia Paper Mills case, besides Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Hussain Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, Haroon Pasha and Senator Ishaq Dar are the co-accused.
The accused were charged with securing huge amount as loan in the name of Hudabia Paper Mills and later using it for some other purposes, causing huge loss to the national exchequer.
In Ittifaq Foundry Reference, Nawaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, Mukhtar Hassan, Kamal Qureshi and couple of other persons were accused of securing big loans and later abusing them.
Similarly in Assets Reference, the accused persons included Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, their father late Mian Sharif, mother Shamim Akhtar and other family members. In the reference, they were charged with accumulation of assets beyond their declared means of income by allegedly misusing their authority.