Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday adjourned hearing of appeals filed by the Sharif family against their conviction in the Avenfield verdict until the last week of July and issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The court also dismissed Nawaz’s plea to stay the trial until the case is transferred from Justice Mohammad Bashir of the accountability court to another judge.

On July 6, an accountability court had sentenced ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison over his family’s purchase of London’s Avenfield apartments. Maryam Nawaz was sentenced to 7 years while her husband Captian (r) Safdar Awan was handed one-year jail term.

During the hearing, Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris mentioned ‘various flaws in the judgement’ and said that burden of evidence on the accused can only be ‘if the prosecution fulfills the all ingredients required’.

The IHC issued the notices in all three appeals filed by the trio; the appeal against the Avenfield verdict, the request to suspend the judgement and the transfer of cases to another judge.

Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and Captain (retd) Safdar are likely to remain in Jail until the poll as the hearing has been adjourned until the last week of July. The general elections 2013 are scheduled to held at July 25.