The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday (17 November) gave the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) more time for arguments on appeals challenging the conviction of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt (retd) Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield property reference after finding some flaws in the prosecution’s case.
The appeals were considered by a divided bench consisting of Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani.
Maryam Nawaz, Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar, and their lawyer, Irfan Qadir, appeared in front of the court.
Irfan Qadir started his remarks at the start of the hearing, claiming that the reference was filed against his clients without evidence on the NAB chairman’s orders. He said there was no document on which the case was built.
Furthermore, he said, “Prosecution has to prove the ownership of the accused with evidence instead of hearsay.”
During the hearing, Justice Aamer Farooq inquired whether a father would give something to his daughter without first asking her. He stated that the property’s ownership was hidden through offshore entities and that the prosecution must show the accused’s ownership with proof rather than hearsay.
The accused had not told the source to buy these flats, according to the NAB prosecutor. Justice Kayani responded by asking how the case against the daughter was built since the purchaser was not sentenced after conviction based on public perception.
Maryam Nawaz was seven years old in 1980, according to the lawyer. The NAB prosecutor responded by stating that the case dates back to 1993.
The court wanted to know if these companies were registered. Yes, the NAB prosecutor stated, adding that the proof documents were also available. The court inquired as to how the prosecution planned to show that anyone in the Sharif family was a beneficial owner of the apartments. The case was then postponed until November 24.
