Nawaz Sharif to be Indicted, Arrest Warrants Against His Children

Mangalore Today News Network

Pakistan, sep 27, 2017 : An anti-corruption court in Pakistan issued arrest warrants on Tuesday against the three children and son-in-law of the former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after they failed to appear for a hearing.

 

The court also announced that it would indict Nawaz Sharif next week for corruption, reports Efe news.
Court’s spokesperson Mohamed Irfan Judge Mohammed Bashir issued arrest warrants with possibility of bail against his children Hasan, Husain and Maryam and her (Maryam’s) husband Mohamed Safdar Awan because they did not appear before the court and ordered them to do so on 2 October.

Also Read: Pak’s Anti-Graft Body Freezes Sharif’s Bank Accounts and Assets

The bail amount was fixed at 1 million rupees (9,490 dollars) for each.

Khawaja Haris, the lawyer of the Sharifs, argued that Sharif’s children could not appear before the court as they were in London with their mother Kulsoom, who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.

The former Prime Minister, after missing the first hearing on 19 September because he was in London, attended Tuesday’s hearing to request permission to miss the next hearing due to his wife’s illness.

The judge said the court would indict him on corruption charges on 2 October, for which his presence would be necessary. After that, it would decide if he was required to continue appearing for the hearings.

    The Sharifs had been summoned before the court on 15 September after the National Accountability Bureau, an anti-corruption body, opened three cases against them following an order by the Supreme Court on 28 July.

The three cases are related to ownership of property at an exclusive zone in London, the creation of the firms Azizia Steel and Hill Metal and the Flagship investment firm as well as another 15 companies.

On 28 July, Sharif was disqualified from serving as Prime Minister for not declaring income from his son’s company in the United Arab Emirates, following investigations into the so-called Panama Papers.

Also Read: Ousted Pak PM Sharif’s Wife Wins Lahore Bypolls With 53% Votes
Nawaz Sharif Slams Judiciary

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif once again slammed the judiciary on Tuesday for rejecting his appeal against his disqualification from office and reaffirmed he would fight a legal battle to clear his name.

Addressing a press conference after making his first appearance before the accountability court to face corruption charges, Sharif claimed he was targeted in the so-called Panama Papers case.

"I know for what reasons I am being punished," he said.

He claimed that "when they could not find proof (of his wrongdoing), they made a joint investigation team. The same courts and judges announced the decision and told NAB to open references."

"Then the same court took control of NAB," he said. "If necessary, this same court will listen to my last appeal as well."
Nawaz Sharif Is this how justice works? Is this what we call the rule of law? Does Article 10 (of the Constitution) say this - is this what it means by a fair trial? This is the first case that the weight of the law was placed with the petitioner, and the rights of the defence were not implemented.

The former premier said that he was ousted despite the failure of the prosecution to prove wrongdoing by him or his family.
Nawaz Sharif No accusation was proved - they were not able to prove any corruption. But they had to disqualify me and so the iqama (his work permit with the UAE-based company) was used.

Sharif said he would stay in Pakistan to face the courts despite strong reservations. He also announced that he would wage a struggle for democracy and sanctity of vote.


courtesy: Yahoo news