Why NAB has withdrawn from IHC Calibri fraud case plea against Maryam Nawaz
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ISLAMABAD – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) withdrew its plea filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the removal of clauses related to submitting false documents from the charge-sheets of Mayram Nawaz and her husband.
Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and her husband MNA Capt (retd) Safdar are indicted, along with other family members, in the Avenfield properties reference filed by the accountability watchdog in light of the Supreme Court’s Panama Papers case judgment, however, on a request, the accountability court had removed the clauses related to ‘Calibri’ font saga, temporarily easing off the embattled Sharif family.
Maryam and Safdar had filed an application seeking a change in their indictment on the grounds that their charge-sheet mentioned submission of a “false” document [wherein the Calibri font was used].
The application pleaded that the document could not be considered false as the Supreme Court, in the Panama case judgment, had directed the trial court to first determine whether false documents were submitted before taking any appropriate action.
Regarding the decision, Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir had ruled that the overall paragraph related to the Calibri font would remain a part of the indictment but ordered the removal of NAB law’s section 3-A which lists punishment for the alleged crime.
NAB challenged the decision, however, the counsel in his petition has now informed that the graft-buster was filing a sub-reference in the case and so does not need to pursue the matter in the IHC.
Let it be known that in its July 28 verdict, that led to the ouster of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister, the Supreme Court had remarked: “In case the Accountability Court finds any deed, document or affidavit filed by or on behalf of the respondent(s) or any other person(s) to be fake, false, forged or fabricated, it shall take appropriate action against the concerned person in accordance with law.”
On the other hand, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also filed a review petition in the apex court challenging the rejection of Hudaibya case reopening by a three-member bench of the top court.
