Former Pak PM Nawaz Sharif convicted of corruption, gets 10 years in jail

Islamabad: The Accountability Court sentenced former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years of imprisonment on Friday in one of the three corruption cases.

His daughter, Maryam Nawaz has been sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in the Avenfield corruption case, Geo TV reported.

Sharif has also been fined eight million pounds, while Maryam was fined two million pounds.

Maryam's husband Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar has also been sentenced to one year of imprisonment.

The verdict in the Avenfield reference case was read out by accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir after postponing the announcement four times in a day.

Explaining the delay, the judge said that an appropriate number of photocopies of the judgment were to be made to the relevant parties.

Earlier, the court was scheduled to announce its decision at 12:30 pm (local time), after which it was postponed to 2:30 pm, 3 pm and 3:30 pm respectively, The Dawn reported.

The Sharifs had filed an application on Thursday requesting the court to delay the verdict in the Avenfield reference and grant a seven-day exemption in the wake of Nawaz's wife, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz's critical health. But the court dismissed the plea.

Amjad Pervez, counsel of Sharif's daughter Maryam, argued that the law stipulates the presence of the accused when the verdict is read out.

Strict security arrangements were made at the Federal Judicial Complex, where the court is located. Section 144 was imposed in Islamabad to discourage mass gatherings ahead of the verdict, as per media reports.

Sharif and Maryam are currently in London visiting Kulsoom, who is suffering from cancer and is undergoing treatment there.

On June 14, both Sharif and his daughter left for the United Kingdom after they were granted a brief exemption from the ongoing trial.

Sharif and his family are facing trial in three corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which are Avenfield properties, Gulf Steel Mills and Al-Azizia Steel Mills.

Nawaz's brother Shehbaz Sharif, while addressing the media, asserted that all the candidates of PLM-N will contest in the upcoming Pakistan general elections and during their campaign, they will use the platform to highlight their disappointment in the court's verdict and the "injustice done" to the Sharif family.

"We will take all legal and constitutional routes to fight for justice. Nawaz Sharif has always fought bravely," he added.

The trial had commenced on September 14 last year.