IHC reserves verdict on maintainability of Nawaz bail plea

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday has reserved judgment on maintainability of appeal filed by former PM Nawaz Sharif for seeking bail. IHC Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aamir Farooq heard the case in Islamabad on Monday. Nawaz Sharif’s defense counsel Khawaja Haris appeared before the court and pleaded for grant of bail till decision on appeal. Judges remarked that until the hearing of the appeal, the petitioner’s sentence could not be suspended. Sharif’s counsel Khawaja Harris told the court that the appeal was not set for hearing yet perhaps due to holidays. Sharif’s legal team had last week pleaded with the court to suspend his sentence and release him on bail. Earlier, the IHC’s Registrar Office had raised objections to the petition; however it was fixed for hearing after some delay. Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik had sentenced Nawaz to seven years in jail along with imposition of a fine of $25 million in Al-Azizia reference on Dec 24, 2018. However, he acquitted him in the Flagship Investment reference.

Nawaz Sharif has challenged the Accountability Court-II decision in the IHC. In his appeal, Nawaz requested the court to declare his sentence null and void and release him on bail. He argued that the Accountability Court’s verdict was based on incorrect interpretation of the law. The appeal further claimed that the judge “betrayed his predisposition and exceeded his position as a trial judge” during the case hearing. Nawaz’s defense counsel Khawaja Haris has also filed a separate petition seeking suspension of Nawaz’s sentence in the reference.