IHC upholds accountability court’s verdict, dismisses Nawaz’s bail plea

Upholding an accountability court's ruling in convicting ex-premier Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed Sharif's request for bail on medical grounds.

A two-member bench comprising Judge Aamer Farooq and Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani rejected the ex-premier's bail plea and ruled that Sharif will have to serve his sentence in jail, local media reported. The nine-page

Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, along with Sharif’s lawyer Khawaja Haris, were also present in the court. Following the high court's verdict, ex-prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the party will take all legal routes that are available to challenge the decision.

The bench had reserved its verdict on February 20, after hearing arguments from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor and Sharif’s lawyer Haris.

SC to hear NAB’s appeal against suspension of Sharifs jail term on January 14

Sharif had filed a petition in the high court requesting bail on medical grounds. Sharif is currently in Jinnah hospital after doctors recommended his medical treatment. However, Sharif's angiography has not been carried out till now. Sharif had been serving the seven-year jail term given to him by an accountability court in the Al-Azizia reference.

On December 24, Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik had convicted Sharif in the Al-Azizia case and warded him seven years imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs1.5 billion and $25 million on him.

Sharif has already been convicted in the Avenfield case and was sentenced to 10-year jail term. However, after serving a couple of months in the Adiala Jail, the ex-premier was released on bail.