Al-Azizia reference: Nawaz files bail petition on medical ground

ISLAMABAD: The former PM Nawaz Sharif on Saturday filed another petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking suspension of his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference on medical grounds.

Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris has requested the court to grant a bail to former PM on humanitarian grounds and for necessary medical check-ups. The Registrar office of the IHC received the application. The Accountability Court, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Superintendent of Kot Lakhpat Jail were made respondents in the petition.

In his petition the former PM Nawaz has requested that his sentence in Al-Azizia reference should be suspended and he should be granted bail on medical grounds against surety bonds. “Sharif was unable to undergo proper medical examination due to his imprisonment,” it states. The accountability court sentenced Nawaz to seven years in prison and fined Rs1.5 billion in Al-Azizia case on December 24. He was acquitted in the Flagship corruption reference. The petition further stated that Accountability Court verdict be suspended till a decision is announced on his appeal against the jail term. A detailed medical report of the hospital date January 17 is attached with his bail petition.

Few days earlier in Kot Lakhpat jail Nawaz felt pain in both arms and numbness of toes. The Superintendent of Jail referred him for medical examination to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore and Allama Iqbal Medical College, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore. A special medical board was separately constituted to evaluate the health of Nawaz Sharif. A team of doctors had conducted a medical examination of Nawaz at the Kot Lakhpat jail. Blood samples of the former premier were sent to the Jinnah Hospital and he was taken to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) for further tests. Three tests, including echocardiogram (ECG) and Thallium, were conducted at PIC and his medical reports showed that his heart has enlarged somewhat.

Nawaz Sharif has already 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 plea has been fixed for hearing in the Islamabad High Court on February 18.