The court accepted NAB’s plea for adjournment and put off further hearing until Dec 24.
LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Dec 16th, 2019) National Accountability Bureau (NAB) requested the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Maryam Nawaz’s plea seeing return of her passport to travel to London.
As proceedings commenced, a law officer representing the anti-graft watch dog asked the court that they needed more time to submit reply in Maryam Nawaz’s passport case. At this, the court accepted the plea and put off further hearing till Dec 24.
Earlier, the Lahore High Court disposed of petition filed by PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz seeking directives for removal of her name from Exit Control List (ECL) so that she could fly to London to look after her ailing father Nawaz Sharif. The court directed Maryam to approach the interior ministry first in this regard and disposed of the petition.
Later, the Federal cabinet in its meeting chaired by PM Imran Khan opposed Maryam’s travel to London. Faisal Vawda, the federal minister for Water Resources, asked the cabinet members not to remove name of Maryam Nawaz from ECL.
Maryam Nawaz is currently on bail in Chaudhary Sugar Mills case while her passport is in the judicial custody.
In order to secure her bail, Maryam Nawaz deposited two surety bonds worth Rs.10 million and surrendered her passport to the Lahore High Court in the case.
On August 8, NAB team took Maryam Nawaz from outside the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore for skipping appearance in Chaudhry Sugar Mills due to meeting with her father Nawaz Sharif.
Maryam Nawaz was unable to provide the required details of foreign investment in sugar mills while she was also failed to satisfy the bureau regarding source of income for purchasing the shares. NAB had also claimed that three foreigners had transferred 11000 shares worth millions of rupees on Maryam Nawaz’s name.
On July 19, accountability court had turned down petition of NAB claiming Maryam Nawaz had produced a bogus trust deed in Avenfield reference.
Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir had declared anti-corruption watchdog’s appeal as unmaintainable and ruled that no action can be taken in this regard until the decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Maryam’s petition against the Avenfield properties verdict.
On July 6, 2018, accountability judge Mohammad Bashir had convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz in Avenfield properties reference and sentenced them 10 years and 07 years imprisonment, respectively.
In the verdict, judge Bashir had declared that “The trust deeds produced by the accused Maryam Nawaz were also found bogus… In view of the role of this accused Maryam Nawaz, she is convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years with fine of two million Pounds.”
She was arrested and shifted to Adiala jail. Later, she was released from jail after the Islamabad High Court suspended her prison sentence.
