Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif appears in court in corruption trial

Three cases were launched against him last September following a verdict by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case on July 28 that disqualified him as prime minister.

By: PTI | Islamabad |Published: April 23, 2018 3:05 PM

Pakistan's ousted prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, returned home from London on Monday to appear before the court for a lawsuit in corruption cases. On July 28, after the Supreme Court's decision in the Panama Paper case, three cases were initiated against him in September last year, who had declared him disqualified as the Prime Minister. Sharif was accompanied by his daughter Mary, who also came from London and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar, because he had come to the court to attend the hearing.

The cases of corruption against the Sharif family are related to Al-Azizia Steel Mills, Flagship Investment Limited and Avenuefield Properties. Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir started proceedings in the Al-Azizia Steel Mill case but he had to adjourn till yesterday due to absence of the main witness. The judge allowed Sharif to go, but the court announced hearing of Avenfield case at 2 o'clock. Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law are accused in the case of assets in London's Avenefield area.

Earlier, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers welcomed Sharif and Mary at Islamabad airport because they had come from London where they went to see Sharif's ill wife on Wednesday. Sharif and his son Hussain and Hassan are accused in all three cases, while Marim and Safdar are co-accused only in Avenfeld case. Since the commencement of the operation last year, the brothers have not come to the court.

Sharif's political future, which leads the country's most powerful political family and the ruling PML-N party, is hanging in balance after its boycott. If convicted, he can be sent to jail. Sharif's family alleged that the matter was politically motivated.