*ISLAMABAD:* The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesdaydashed hopes of bail for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz. The duo had not yetcome out of the earlier shock of poor reception in Lahore.
IHC adjourned hearing of appeals filed by the Sharif family against theirconviction in the Avenfield verdict until the last week of July and issuednotices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The court also dismissed Nawaz’s plea to stay the trial until the case istransferred from Justice Mohammad Bashir of the accountability court toanother judge.
On July 6, an accountability court had sentenced ousted prime ministerNawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison over his family’s purchase of London’sAvenfield apartments. Maryam Nawaz was sentenced to 7 years while herhusband Captian (r) Safdar Awan was handed one-year jail term.
During the hearing, Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Haris mentioned ‘various flawsin the judgement’ and said that burden of evidence on the accused can onlybe ‘if the prosecution fulfills the all ingredients required’.
The IHC issued the notices in all three appeals filed by the trio; theappeal against the Avenfield verdict, the request to suspend the judgementand the transfer of cases to another judge.
Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and Captain (retd) Safdar are likely to remainin Jail until the poll as the hearing has been adjourned until the lastweek of July. The general elections 2013 are scheduled to held at July 25.