Daily Times

The counsel for the embattled Sharif family on Thursday submitted applications in the accountability court seeking a week’s delay in the announcement of the verdict in the Avenfield corruption reference scheduled to be announced on Friday (today), a private TV channel reported.

In the identical applications compiled on behalf of Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, the counsel cited Kulsoom Nawaz’s poor health as the reason for the family’s bid to have the verdict postponed. “Not only is it in the interest of justice but also in consonance with the spirit and requirement of Section 366 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, that the announcement of order in the titled reference may be postponed for a minimum of seven days period,” the applications added.

Mohammad Bashir, the accountability court judge who is hearing the corruption references against the Sharif family, was on leave on Thursday in order to pen the court’s judgement in the Avenfield reference.

In his absence, duty judge Mohammad Arshad said he cannot accept the applications, referring the Sharifs’ counsel to the registrar of the accountability court. Later, however, he received the applications and issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau’s prosecution department.

Published in Daily Times, July 6^th 2018.