Hassan, Hussain Nawaz acquitted in Panama Papers cases

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has exonerated Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, sons of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in three cases stemming from the Panama Papers revelations.

The Islamabad Accountability Court acquitted Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz in the Flagship, Avenfield, and Al-Azizia references.

The court had reserved its verdict on the acquittal applications, which was announced later.

During the hearing, the defence lawyer Qazi Misbah and NAB prosecutors presented their arguments.

NAB Deputy Prosecutor Azhar Maqbool argued that the Supreme Court’s decision in this regard was not an obstacle, and the court can decide the case, noting that the main accused in the references, Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz have already been acquitted, and no appeal was filed against their acquittal.

The defence lawyer argued that proceeding with the cases against Hassan and Hussain Nawaz would be a waste of the court’s time, as the Islamabad High Court had already acquitted Maryam Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif.

After the completion of arguments from NAB lawyers and the defence lawyer, the court reserved the verdict and later announced it acquitting both sons of Nawaz Sharif.

Background on the Panama Papers Case The Panama Papers case, officially titled Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi v Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, was a landmark 2017 decision by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It resulted in the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif from holding public office for life. The case was initiated following the Panama Papers leak, which disclosed connections between the Sharif family and eight offshore companies