Avenfield Apartments: 'Nawaz, Maryam not required to pay fine until final decision'

ISLAMABAD: After the suspension of sentences of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Safdar in Avenfield Apartments, they are not required to pay fine until the final decision of the appellate court.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on September 19, 2018, had suspended the sentences of former premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, son-in-law Captain (retired) Muhammad Safdar in Avenfield case, while ordering the release of the three convicted by the accountability court.

The court ordered the release of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retired) Safdar from Adiala Jail against the surety bonds of Rs0.5 million each.

Irfan Qadir, former Attorney General for Pakistan, said as the appellant court (IHC) has suspended the sentences of ex-PM Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Safdar, so till the final decision, they cannot be asked to pay fine.

He said if the IHC upholds the verdict of the Accountability Court, then the former premier and his daughter will go to the Supreme Court, adding if the apex court pass judgment in favour of Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Safdar then there will no need for them to pay fine.

Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, former deputy prosecutor general of the NAB, also has the same opinion.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir on July 6, 2018 convicted and sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to rigorous imprisonment for a term of 10 years with a fine of £8 million (Rs1.92 billion), while Maryam Safdar was given seven-year sentence and fine £2 million and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, to one-year rigorous imprisonment in Avenfield Apartments.

Nawaz was convicted under the NAO 1999 9(a)(v): "A holder of a public office, or any other person, is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices [...] if he or any of his dependents or benamidar owns, possesses, or has acquired right or title in any assets or holds irrevocable power of attorney in respect of any assets or pecuniary resources disproportionate to his known sources of income, which he cannot reasonably account for or maintains a standard of living beyond that which is commensurate with his sources of income."

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020