Islamabad: Islamabad High Court on Wednesday struck down the conviction of former prime minister and chief of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Mian Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference.

Former PM Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the accountability court Islamabad in the Avenfield properties corruption reference in July 2018 accusing him of owing assets beyond his known source of income.

IHC’s two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzaib heard the arguments of the counsel on Nawaz Sharif’s appeal that was restored after the return of Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan from abroad where he was staying for the last couple of years for medical treatment.

Nawaz Sharif’s counsel Amjad Pervez submitted that the prosecution failed to prove charges pertained to assets beyond means as under the law prosecution has to prove certain facts and the accused is required to be shown as a public office holder.
The counsel said that the prosecution failed to investigate the source of assets at the time of the acquisition of the properties in question and compare the known source of income with the value of the assets. He said that the prosecution failed to prove that these properties were purchased by the appellant and the value of the properties was not ascertained by the investigation agency.

The NAB prosecutor submitted that the reference was filed after the judgment of the Supreme Court in the Panama case. He submitted that IHC had acquitted the co-accused Maryam Nawaz and captain (retd) Safdar in the case which was not challenged by the NAB therefore it has not become final.

He further submitted that NAB also wanted to withdraw appeal against the acquittal of Nawaz Sharif in Flagship reference.
The court after hearing the arguments of the counsel, for reason to be recorded later on, set aside the conviction of Nawaz Sharif in Avenfield case and acquitted him of corruption charges.

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