ISLAMABAD, June 29 (SABAH): Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar’s lawyer Amjad Pervez resumed his final arguments in the Avenfield reference on Friday. Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir heard the case.
Former prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his family are facing three corruption cases in the accountability court after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed references against them in light of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Panama Papers case last year. As the hearing went under way, the defence counsel presented prosecution witness Mazhar Raza Bangash’s letter, questioning its authenticity. “Bangash said he presented the record in a sealed envelope, however, NAB’s witness Zawar Manzoor has said that the envelope was not sealed,” Pervez said. He argued that the documents submitted by Bangash were photocopies and thus could not be made part of the court’s record as per Pakistan’s Qanun-e-Shahadat Order, 1984 (Law of Evidence). Pervez contended that it was to be seen if the verdict of Queen’s bench was admissible evidence, adding that the summary of even that decision was not related to indictment. The defence lawyer also objected to the absence of Shezi Naqvi – who had submitted an affidavit in the case. He further said that Rehman Malik’s report was not official and even the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had not accepted it. – Sabah
