The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has constituted a division bench for hearing former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's appeal against his conviction in Al-Azizia Steel Mill case from September 18. The dual bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Moshin Akhtar Kayani will conduct hearing.
The Accountability Court (AC) Islamabad convicted the former prime minister in Al-Azizia/Hill Metals Establishment corruption references filed by National Accountability Bureau and awarded him rigorous imprisonment for a term of seven years on December 24, 2018 in the said reference.
It will be the first hearing of Sharif's appeal after the controversy emerged regarding the leaked video of Judge Arshad Malik in July. The video, purportedly showing Judge Arshad Malik 'confessing' that he had convicted Nawaz Sharif under duress, was made public by Maryam Nawaz, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, at a press conference.
Later, Judge Arshad admitted that a video existed in which he was shown in a compromising position, but alleged that PML-N supporters Nasir Butt, Nasir Janjua, Maher Ghulam Jilani and Khurram Yousaf had purchased this video from accused Mian Tariq Mehmood and were pressuring him to acquit Nawaz Sharif.
The judge said in an affidavit that at a social gathering attended by both Nasir Janjua and Maher Ghulam Jilani, the former took him aside and requested him to give a verdict of acquittal in both references.
He further claimed that the two individuals later met him at a party and offered him Euros equivalent to almost Rs 100 million and told him that foreign currency worth Rs 20 million was already available in their vehicle outside.
The affidavit alleged that Nasir Butt told the judge that Nasir Janjua would make the video public soon. A couple of days later, Mian Tariq Mehmood visited the judge's house and showed him the video.
Although accused Tariq Mahmood was sent to jail on judicial remand, the three suspects including Nasir Janjua, Maher Ghulam Jilani and Khurram Yousaf were released by a local court after FIA submitted their discharge report following its interrogation in this matter.
Sharif had moved the appeal through his counsel Khawaja Haris and cited state through chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), judge accountability court-II Islamabad and superintendent Central Jail Kot Lakhpat Lahore as respondents.
The petitioner stated in the application that he was convicted under section 10 of NAO, 1999 read with schedule thereto and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a term of seven years along with a fine of Rs 1.5 billion and US 25 million.
Sharif contended that from a bare perusal of the said judgment, it is evident that the findings recorded therein and forming basis for the conviction of the petitioner under section 9(a)(v) of NAO, 1999 read with section 10 ibid, are based on no evidence.
He argued that he was convicted and sentenced on the basis of inadmissible evidence, unproven documents and statements of proxy witnesses which are not permissible in the eye of law.
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