Daily Times

The Supreme Court granted on Tuesday a six-week extension to Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad Bashir to wrap up the corruption references against deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former finance minister Ishaq Dar.

On Monday, the accountability court had requested the top court for an extension in the deadline.

This is the fourth time the deadline for the high-profile cases has been extended since the trial started in September last year.

The Supreme Court had originally set a deadline of six months to conclude the cases but it was extended thrice, with the new date falling on July 10.

As a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan took up the plea, Khawaja Haris, counsel for Nawaz contended that the witnesses and evidence were similar in all three references against his client; ergo a different judge should hear the remaining two references after giving his verdict in the Avenfield properties case.

Haris argued that the Avenfield judgment would have an impact on the other references. However, the chief justice disagreed, observing that the cases would proceed on merit.

The chief justice remarked that Haris’ request would not be entertained while Justice Ahsan observed that the references were not similar.

Justice Ahsan also wondered how a judge who recorded statements of all the witnesses could be changed at this stage.

Haris, however, argued that the trial court judge should hear his plea instead to which the chief justice agreed.

During the proceedings, the chief justice said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had asked for four week but the court was giving him six weeks instead.

Chief Justice Nisar lamented that Haris had mentioned ‘unfairness’ repeatedly, asserting that the Supreme Court could not even think of being unfair.

“Are you aware of all the work the Supreme Court is doing,” the chief justice asked.

The court then gave the trial court six weeks to conclude the cases and observed that the deadline might be extended if the references were not concluded on time.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed three references against the Sharif family last year after the Panama Papers case verdict against Nawaz.

Last week, the accountability court sentenced Nawaz, daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar to jail in the Avenfield properties reference.

After the court’s verdict, the remaining cases pertain to the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metal Establishment, and offshore companies including Flagship Investment Limited.

Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.

The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.

Published in Daily Times, July 11^th 2018.