In some relief to former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the Islamabad High Court on Thursday decided to hear on merit an appeal by him against his conviction in the Al-Azizia Steel mill corruption case as he eyes a record fourth term as premier in the next elections.
Mr Sharif, 73, was sentenced to seven years in jail and imposed a heavy fine by an anti-corruption court in December 2018 after he failed to convince the court that he had nothing to do with the steel mill set up by his father in 2001 in Saudi Arabia.
A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the decision. The same bench had acquitted the former premier in the Avenfield case on November 29.
After hearing arguments, the bench rejected a plea by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to send back the case to the trial court for its re-trial. Later, the court adjourned the hearing of appeal by Mr Sharif till December 12.
The decision by the IHC means that it would hear the actual substance of the case, including the charge, the defence and the weight of evidence, and not just focus on matters of procedure or jurisdiction.
The former premier was present at the time of the hearing and should have been relieved by the court’s decision to hear the appeal on merit as he had already been acquitted in the Avenfield case which like the Al-Azizia steel mill case is based on allegation of assets beyond means.
Mr Sharif was living in exile in Saudi Arabia at the time the mill was set up after the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf toppled his government in 1999 and bundled out of the country the former first family. Mr Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz was the administrative head of the mill.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) maintained that the mill was established by using the corruption money Mr Sharif accumulated during his rule, a charge he denied saying that part of the funds for the facility were provided by the Saudi government.
It was also stated during the hearing that the Qatari royal family had invested in the mill while Mr Sharif’s father Muhammad Mr Sharif chipped in with USD 5 million as his share.
However, the defence side failed to provide credible proof of funds used to set up the mill and the former premier was declared as guilty.
Mr Sharif filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court but he left Pakistan in 2019 and the process was stalled as he was declared absconder for failing to appear in the court. On his return in October after more than four years, his appeal was revived and not up for hearing.
He was already acquitted in the Avenfield case in which he was convicted in July 2018 and sentenced to ten years in Jail. He also got relief in the Flagship corruption case in which he was declared innocent by the court in 2018 but the acquittal was challenged in the IHC by the NAB.
Mr Sharif, the only Pakistani politician who became the prime minister of the coup-prone country for a record three times, returned to the country in October to lead his party in general elections scheduled in February 2024.
Last week, the anti-corruption watchdog withdrew its appeal and Mr Sharif’s innocence was restored in the case.
Mr Sharif landed into hot waters in 2017 when he was disqualified by the Supreme Court following a protracted tussle with the military establishment. The top court ordered NAB to prosecute him in three cases. He was convicted in two and acquitted in one.
His turnaround has been a change of hearts on the part of the establishment which ran into trouble in relations with former cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who is in jail while Mr Sharif is getting relief from courts.
