ISLAMABAD: The accountability court seized with graft cases against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has convicted the former premier in Al-Azizia corruption case while he was acquitted in Flagship Investment reference.
Read more: What is cooking up?
The accountability court judge Muhammad Arshad Malik had reserved the judgment after completion of hearing in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and the Flagship Investment cases against the deposed PM last week. The judge on Wednesday rejected application by Sharif's lawyer Khawaja Harris to provide one week time to submit more documents but allowed him to submit additional documents.
6:00pm: Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who was sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of corruption, has been taken to Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.
5: 00: Pakistan’s anti-graft body has decided to file an appeal against the acquittal of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Flagship reference case.
The decision has been taken in a meeting chaired by NAB chairman Justice (retd.) Javed Iqbal after Sharif’s acquittal by an accountability court on Monday.
A NAB’s spokesman said that an appeal would be filed against the decision.
Judge Arshad Malik ruled that no evidence was presented against Sharif in the Flagship reference.
The court, however, sentenced the former three-time prime minister in Al-Azizia steels mill case and handed him a fine of Rs1.5 billion.
04:00pm - Nawaz's request for detention in Kot Lakhpat jail has been approved.
03:31pm - Reacting to court order, PML-N said Nawaz Sharif was wrongly convicted in Al Azizia reference and the party will protest against it.
03:12pm - After the verdict Nawaz requested to detain him in Lahore's Kot Lakhpat jail instead of sending him to Adiala jail.
03:10pm - Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz were declared absconder in the cases.
03:00pm - The former PM was taken into custody by the NAB authorities.
2:52pm –Nawaz Sharif sentenced to seven years jail term for inability to explain assets beyond means in Al-Azizia Reference case and has been acquitted in the Flagship Investment Reference.
02:45pm -Police resorted to tear gas shelling to disperse PML-N workers outside court.
02:27pm - Nawaz's lawyer, Khawaja Haris reaches court.
01:56pm - Nawaz Sharif has left for the Accountability Court where he will hear the verdict against him.
12:12pm - Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a meeting of senior party leaders today to formulate party policy on court verdict.
11:43am - The PML-N huddle attended by key party leaders discussed steps to be taken after the order but Nawaz Sharif left it to the leadership to decide the future course of action.
11:30am - The security has been put on alert in Rawalpindi Division amid NAB court order in Nawaz Sharif cases.
11:20am - A large number of PML-N workers have gathered outside accountability court.
11:00am - Khawaja Haris is briefing Nawaz Sharif on possible court verdicts.
10:30am - Nawaz Sharif to PML-N leaders: There's nothing in this case. I'm not scared of anything. I did no wrong.
10:16am - Security officials have asked Nawaz Sharif to wait till the Judge Arshad Malik arrives in courtroom: Geo News
10:00am - Former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi: We are not expecting a fair judgement. We have faced similar situations in the past as well.
09: 45am - The accountability court judge Muhammad Arshad Malik, who would deliver the reserved judgment in draft cases against Sharif today, arrived the court.
09:20am - Only, Nawaz Sharif and his lawyer would be allowed to enter the courtroom, while party workers and media would be barred from entering the judicial complex.
09:00am - Nearly 1000 police personnel are deployed around the court building to handle any untoward situation.
08:45am - An APC is also parked inside the court complex.
08:30am - Senior PML-N leaders inclusing Javed Hashmi, Marriyum Aurangzeb and others have reached at the Judicial Complex.
07:00am - The security has been beefed up in Islamabad ahead of announcement of verdict by the accountability court.
06:30am - Law enforcers, including rangers and a number police officers, have been deployed around the court’s premises to avert any untoward incident.
Upon his arrival from Lahore, Nawaz held a comprehensive meeting with the PML-N president and younger brother Shahbaz Sharif at his Ministers’ Enclave residence to discuss the party matters and post-verdict scenario.
Both the leaders also agreed to seek support from the Pakistan People s party (PPP) to steer out of political quagmire. They also formulated the strategy to launch a mass contact campaign in view of the verdict landing Nawaz Sharif behind the bars (as the case may be).
However, former prime minister said that they will take a legal course of action whatever the accountability court decides in Flagship and Al-Azizia steel mills references.
Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz Sharif has broken silence and reportedly expressed her intention to play her role as a PML-N’s worker in order to raise voice for Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz Sharif, in July 2017, was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers scandal, which also led to the filing of three corruption cases.
Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.
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