IHC rejects NAB plea seeking fresh trial in Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has rejected the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) plea to send the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif back to the accountability court for a fresh trial.

 The court has decided to hear Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against his conviction and sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference on merit.

A two-member bench of the IHC, comprising Chief Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mian Gul Hassan, heard the appeal on Thursday.

Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer Amjad Parvez and NAB prosecutors also appeared before the court.

Amjad Parvez argued that NAB had filed three references against Nawaz Sharif on the same allegation of possessing assets beyond means, on the orders of the Supreme Court.

He said that the accountability court had acquitted Nawaz Sharif in the flagship reference, but he is still convicted in the Al-Azizia reference.

He contended that only one reference should have been filed on one charge, but the trial and judgment was conducted together.

Nawaz Sharif acquitted in Avenfield reference

He further said that there were 22 witnesses in the Al-Azizia case, most of whom were record-related witnesses, and none of them were eyewitnesses. He said that Al-Azizia Steel Mills was established in 2001 and Hill Metal Establishment in 2005, and both were owned by Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz, who was 28 years old at the time. He said that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against Nawaz Sharif in this case.

The NAB prosecutor said that they were debating the merits of the case, and they also had some miscellaneous applications. He asked Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer to withdraw his applications, which were related to the video of the accountability court judge.

Amjad Parvez agreed to withdraw his applications, and the court decided to hear the case on merit. The court adjourned the hearing till the next date.