Avenfield References: Court adjourns hearing against Sharif family till Monday

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – An accountability court (AC) on Friday adjourned hearing of mega corruption reference filed against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in line with the Supreme Court directive in the Panamagate case till April 2. The accountability court (AC) judge Muhammad Bashir was conducting hearing of the Avenfield reference against the Sharif family. Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (r) Safdar appeared before the court amid tight security. In today’s proceedings, Khawaja Harris, the defense lawyer continued cross-examining Wajid Zia, former head of joint investigation team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court over Panamagate case. Responding to the defense lawyer’s question, Zia said the JIT had decided to contact Jerry Freeman through a solicitor based in the UK, adding that the team had sent the questionnaire to Freeman with mutual consensus. Jerry Freemen confirmed that Hassan Nawaz had signed two trust deeds on January 2, 2006. Freeman has been a witness of signing on the trust deed, he added. The former JIT head said that the copies of the trust deed were present at the office of Jerry Freeman. The court then adjourned the hearing until April 2 (Monday). Previously, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed three cases of corruption and money laundering against Sharif, his family members and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the Islamabad Accountability Court following the verdict. The anti-graft body NAB had frozen the bank accounts and seized properties of Sharif and his family members to put pressure on them to appear before the court. The Sharifs have denied any wrongdoing and have labeled the corruption proceedings against them as politically motivated. Two of Nawaz’s sons are also due to appear before the NAB court, along with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. Nawaz was disqualified by the Supreme Court in July for not declaring a source of income that he disputes receiving. Pakistan’s top court also ordered a wide-ranging NAB investigation and trial into Sharif family members. The Supreme Court specified that the trial be concluded within six months by NAB, which has in the past been derided as toothless because rich and powerful politicians were seldom convicted.