An Islamabad accountability court has temporarily halted the perpetual arrest warrants issued against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, until March 14, in connection with three corruption cases linked to the Panama Papers.
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The suspension of the warrants was requested by Hussain and Hassan, represented by their counsel Qazi Misbahul Hassan, through an application filed in court pertaining to the Avenfield Apartments, Al-Azizia, and Flagship Investment cases.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the Accountability Court announced the decision during the hearing concerning the Avenfield case.
As per the court order obtained by Dawn.com, both accused individuals are permitted to surrender themselves before the court, emphasizing that if they fail to do so, legal action will ensue.
The court acknowledged that the accused, who are also petitioners in the case, intended to surrender before the court in good faith to face trial proceedings.
During today’s hearing, Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar, along with Usman Masood and Sohail Arif from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), represented the prosecution.
Barrister Misbah argued before the court that despite the interim bail granted to Hassan and Hussain, perpetual arrest warrants were unjustly issued against them. He further mentioned that out of five accused individuals in the Avenfield case, three were initially convicted by an accountability court but later acquitted by the Islamabad High Court.
The lawyer informed the judge that both Hassan and Hussain intended to return to Pakistan by March 12 and appear before the court. Therefore, he urged the suspension of the arrest warrants.
While the NAB prosecutor argued that revoking perpetual arrest warrants required a court appearance, he agreed that if Hassan and Hussain were willing to appear in court, they should be given the opportunity.
The court had reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both sides during the session.
In the previous hearing, counsel for Hussain and Hassan informed the judge that their clients, residing in Saudi Arabia and the UK respectively, were nominated as accused persons in the three references along with Nawaz, Maryam, and retired Captain Safdar.
He highlighted the initiation of trial proceedings when both individuals were not in Pakistan and emphasized their decision to surrender before the court for trial.
Both sons of the former premier are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on March 12, seeking the suspension of their arrest warrants to facilitate their appearance in court.
Notably, Nawaz and Maryam were convicted in the Avenfield reference before the previous general election. Nawaz was also convicted in the Al-Azizia reference but acquitted in the Flagship Investment case.
