ISLAMABAD – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) withdrew its pleafiled in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging the removal of clausesrelated to submitting false documents from the charge-sheets of MayramNawaz and her husband.
Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, and herhusband MNA Capt (retd) Safdar are indicted, along with other familymembers, in the Avenfield properties reference filed by the accountabilitywatchdog in light of the Supreme Court’s Panama Papers case judgment,however, on a request, the accountability court had removed the clausesrelated to ‘Calibri’ font saga, temporarily easing off the embattled Shariffamily.
Maryam and Safdar had filed an application seeking a change in theirindictment 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 asthe Supreme Court, in the Panama case judgment, had directed the trialcourt to first determine whether false documents were submitted beforetaking any appropriate action.
Regarding the decision, Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir hadruled that the overall paragraph related to the Calibri font would remain apart of the indictment but ordered the removal of NAB law’s section 3-Awhich lists punishment for the alleged crime.
NAB challenged the decision, however, the counsel in his petition has nowinformed that the graft-buster was filing a sub-reference in the case andso 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 ofNawaz Sharif as prime minister, the Supreme Court had remarked: “In casethe Accountability Court finds any deed, document or affidavit filed by oron behalf of the respondent(s) or any other person(s) to be fake, false,forged or fabricated, it shall take appropriate action against theconcerned person in accordance with law.”
On the other hand, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also fileda review petition in the apex court challenging the rejection of Hudaibyacase reopening by a three-member bench of the top court.