SC gives accountability court one more month to decide Sharif’s cases

LAHORE, Jun 10 (APP):The Supreme Court on Sunday gave one-month extension to accountability
court of Islamabad for deciding the three references against former prime
minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his family members.
The two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar,
passed the orders while hearing an application, filed by the judge accountability
court for giving additional time in the references against the Sharif family.
At the outset of hearing, Nawaz Sharif’s counsel Khawaja Harris
sought six weeks time for trial completion. However, the bench declined
the request saying that the matter should be decided now.
The chief justice also observed that Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz
could go to inquire after Begum Kalsoom Nawaz, if they wanted so. They
had been claiming in the public that they were not allowed to go to London
to enquire about the welfare of ailing Begum Kalsoom Nawaz, he added.
The chief justice observed that “We would allow them (Sharifs) even
if a verbal request was made by the counsel.”
A deputy prosecutor general, National Accountability Bureau, also
appeared before the bench.
The references were filed by NAB in view of the Supreme
Court’s July 28, 2017 judgment in the Panama Papers case.
In March, the apex court had granted a two-month extension
to the accountability court to complete proceedings. When the
trial could not be completed in the stipulated time period despite
day-to-day hearings, the SC in May granted one more
month to decide the references. That deadline lapsed on
Saturday.