- Court approves Maryam, Safdar’s bail; separates cases of Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz
- Court decides to start proceedings of declaring Hussain and Hassan
proclaimed offenders
ISLAMABAD, October 9: Accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir has fixed 13th October date for indicting former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif and son-in-law captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar in three references filed against them by NAB on the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the light of the Panama papers case verdict. Court has decided to start proceedings of declaring Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz proclaimed offenders. Court has also separated cases of Hussain and Hassan from the NAB references.
On Monday the daughter of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz appeared before accountability. Meanwhile NAB officials presented captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar while arresting him in front of accountability court. However Nawaz Sharif and his sons Hussain and Hassan did not appear before court. The court accepted bail of captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar and directed him to submit surety bonds of Rs 5 million. The court ordered NAB to release captain (retd) Safdar.
The court has directed captain (retd) to seek permission of court for going abroad. The court has rejected the NAB plea of confiscating the passport of captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar. The court has rejected the application of NAB for sending captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar in jail.
The copies of the references were provided to Maryam and captain (retd) Safdar during the hearing.
Khawaja Muhammad Haris, counsel of the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, stated his client should be exempted from personal appearance before the court as he is in London due to the indisposition of his spouse. Medical certificate of Kulsoom Nawaz was also presented before the court. After initially reserving the decision, the court rejected the application for Sharif’s permanent exemption, allowing him to be absent from Monday hearing only.
Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar were granted bail against surety bonds of Rs1 million each. The court also directed them to submit Rs5 million each in order to ensure their presence on the next date of hearing. During Monday’s proceedings, three investigation officers appeared before the court and recorded their statements. NAB officials informed the court that Nawaz’s sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz had left the country and were deliberately avoiding court appearances. After hearing the arguments of NAB investigators, the court ordered initiation of process under Section 87 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) against the ex-PM’s sons and separated their trial from the rest of the accused. Issuing non-bailable arrest warrants for the sons of the former premier, the court declared them as absconders. During the hearing, PML-N leader Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry submitted surety bonds worth Rs5 million on behalf of Maryam and Rabnawz Abbassi submitted the surety bonds on behalf of captain (retd) Safdar.. -Agencies
