ISLAMABAD    -   The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday issued its written or­der in a matter wherein it had already acquitted Vice President of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar in the Aven­field corruption reference.

A two-member bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued its detailed written order of Maryam Nawaz and her hus­band Safdar appeals against their conviction in the Avenfield refer­ence. The IHC bench has accept­ed their appeals after four years when Maryam and Safdar were convicted in July 2018 in the Aven­field apartments corruption refer­ence. The IHC written judgment said, “We deem appropriate at this stage to write in the judgment that questions regarding the key documents in the case and link­ing the same to Nawas Sharif as well as appellant No. 1 (Maryam) were asked initially in November, 2021 and on multiple dates were repeated and as a result thereof even the counsels representing NAB were changed, but even till the last date of hearing the learned counsel representing NAB was un­able to assist us on the issue.” The bench mentioned that allegation of corrupt and illegal practices (section 9(a)(iv) of the Ordinance) against Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was turned down by the learned trial court and no appeal was filed there-against; the sole charge against Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was of ‘assets be­yond mean’. “In this behalf the assets of the companies as Aven­field Apartments were attributed to him, which according to the prosecution, were in the name of his dependent child i.e. appellant No.1. There is no direct or indi­rect proof that appellant No.1 was dependent of Mian Nawaz Sharif at the relevant time and the pros­ecution failed to establish the el­ementsof section 9(a)(v).