ISLAMABAD - The Accountability Court will hear the supplementary references in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investments on Thursday, February 22.
According to the written order, Judge Muhammed Bashir of the Accountability Court will conduct the hearing of the two references.
According to the judicial order, the counsel of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif sought time to review the supplementary references.
The court said that it would hear the arguments and objections by the defence lawyer on the date.
A week ago, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed two supplementary references in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship investments with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his sons Hassan and Hussain Nawaz nominated in the references by the NAB Rawalpindi, according to the notification.
Sharif family is facing three corruption references including Avenfield properties, Al-Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investments with charges of money laundering, tax evasion and hiding offshore assets.
A supplementary reference pertaining to their Avenfield properties has already been filed.
Meanwhile, a NAB team had already left for London where two British nationals would testify through video-link in supplementary reference filed by the NAB in Avenfield properties reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members.
Both the prosecution and the defence representatives would be present in the Pakistan High Commission at the time of recording of the statements of the witnesses on February 22.
The NAB team comprising Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar and its director, will be present at the Pakistan High Commission London building during testimony of witnesses – Robert W Radley and Akhtar Raja – who could not come to Pakistan owing to security concerns.
When approached by Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, the Islamabad High Court had allowed a counsel/representative of the ruling family to be present during recording of the statements.
Witness Robert W Radley is the principal at the Radley Forensic Document Laboratory and Akhtar Raja – nephew of the JIT head Wajid Zia - is the principal at the Quist Solicitors.
Radley had examined the Calibri font-scripted trust deed submitted by Maryam Nawaz to the Supreme Court, which was declared fake.
HEARING OF CONTEMPT CASE AGAINST NAWAZ ADJOURNED
The Islamabad High Court Tuesday adjourned the hearing in a petition seeking to initiate contempt of court proceedings against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly criticising the superior judiciary of the country.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing in this matter and deferred the proceedings till February 26, saying that a similar matter is pending before the Lahore High Court at the principal seat. “Let us see the outcome of that case first,” the IHC bench observed.
At this juncture, petitioner Makhdoom Niaz Inqilabi Advocate adopted before the court that the petition pending with the LHC has not nominated the Press Council of Pakistan as respondent while he had made it a respondent. Then, Justice Farooq directed the petitioner to assist the court regarding print media regulations on next date of hearing.
The petitioner made former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Secretary Ministry of Information, Press Council of Pakistan and Chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) as respondents.
In his petition, he prayed to the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the former prime minister under article 204 (2b) of the constitution that reads “a court shall have the power to punish any person who (a) abuses, interferes with or obstruct the process of the court in any way or (b) scandalise the court or otherwise does anything which tends to bring the court or a judge of the Court into hatred, ridicule or contempt.”
He maintained that on February 15, Nawaz Sharif while talking to the media had said “the judges are committing contempt of their own position and stature. PCO judges should not teach us lessons of morality and ethics. If Chief Justice uses the same language that Imran Khan uses against us, then there is no difference between the two. These people are after my presidency and I do not accept such decisions.”
He contended that all these statements fall under the contempt of court law and to scandalise the courts. These statements were live telecasted on TV channels and published in the newspapers.
Therefore, he requested the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the former prime minister and to direct the PEMRA not to telecast his speeches.
