The accountability court on Friday announced the verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), handing ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif 10 years as jail time for owning assets beyond known income and 1 year for not cooperating with NAB. The sentences will run concurrently which means the former prime minister will serve 10 years in jail.

His daughter Maryam was given 7 years for abetment after she was found "instrumental in concealment of the properties of her father" and 1 year for non-cooperation with the bureau. These sentences will also run concurrently; she will serve 7 years in total.

According to the verdict, she "aided, assisted, abetted, attempted and acted in conspiracy with her father". "The trust deeds produced by the accused Maryam Nawaz were also found bogus," read the judgement.

Related: We asked the creator of Calibri to weigh in on the JIT debate

Nawaz's son-in-law retired Captain Safdar has been given 1 year jail time — for not cooperating with NAB, and aiding and abeting Nawaz and Maryam.

The non-cooperation punishment for all three has been given under Serial 2 of the schedule of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999: "Refuses to answer questions, or to provide information to any member of the NAB or any other agency when required to do so."

Nawaz was convicted under NAO 1999 9(a)(v): "A holder of a public office, or any other person, is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices [...] if he or any of his dependents or benamidar owns, possesses, or has acquired right or title in any assets or holds irrevocable power of attorney in respect of any assets or pecuniary resources disproportionate to his known sources of income, which he cannot reasonably account for or maintains a standard of living beyond that which is commensurate with his sources of income."

The abetment conviction for Maryam and Safdar falls under NAO 1999 9(a)(v)(xii), which states: "Is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices [...] if he aids, assists, abets, attempts or acts in conspiracy with a person or a holder of public office accused of an offence."

The counsel for Nawaz Sharif briefs journalists outside the court. — AP

As the 9-month-long trial concluded, Nawaz was handed a fine of £8 million and Maryam £2 million. The money will go into the state treasury.

According to AFP, prosecution lawyer Sardar Muzaffar Abbas said that the court had ordered the properties, in London's exclusive Mayfair, be confiscated by the federal government.

The sons, Hasan and Hussain Nawaz, also accused in the case, are "absconding therefore, they are declared as proclaimed offenders. Non bailable perpetual warrants of arrest shall be issued against them".

Maryam and Capt Safdar can no longer contest the upcoming general elections. "The [...] accused shall be disqualified to contest election or to hold public office for a period of 10 years to be reckoned from the date he [sic] is released after serving the sentence," ruled the court.

They, however, have the right to appeal against the verdict.

NAB had filed the reference regarding the high-end properties in London, along with two others, on the Supreme Court's directives in the landmark Panamagate verdict last year which deseated Nawaz as the prime minister.

Four members of the Sharif family ─ Nawaz, Maryam, Hassan and Hussain ─ are in London, while Captain Safdar is in Pakistan, but was not present in court.

Soon after the verdict, Maryam took to Twitter to share this message: "This is a very small punishment for firmly standing in front of unseen forces. The morale to fight against oppression has increased today."

Read: Maryam asks workers not to 'feel nervous' ahead of Avenfield verdict

پاکستان میں 70 سال سے سرگرم نادیدہ قووتوں کے سامنے ڈٹ جانے کی یہ سزا بہت چھوٹی ہے۔ آج ظلم کے خلاف لڑنے کا حوصلہ اور بلند ہو گیا۔ — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 6, 2018

NAB will now wait for a certain time period for all three convicts to surrender. If they fail to do so, NAB will initiate the procedure to bring Maryam and Nawaz back, and arrest Safdar.

Read the complete judgement

Day of the verdict

According to DawnNewsTV, the Sharif family, along with former finance minister Ishaq Dar, gathered at the Avenfield flats in London to watch the verdict.

The verdict, which was scheduled for Friday morning, was delayed five times, finally being announced a little after 4:30pm.

The counsel for the family had submitted an application to the accountability court on Thursday, seeking a seven-day postponement in the announcement of the verdict. The plea, however, was rejected in the morning.

Read more: Want to hear judgement while standing in courtroom, amidst my people: Nawaz

The atmosphere outside the court in Islamabad — where the fate of the Sharif family members was announced — was thick with tension and buzzing with media and security personnel. Both the capital police force and Rangers were deployed in riot gear outside the court.

Security personnel have been deployed at the accountability court today. ─ DawnNewsTV

Moreover, Section 144 was imposed in the capital and police in the garrison city were on high alert. City Police Officer (CPO) Abbas Ahsan told Dawn earlier that although "strong retaliation" is not expected after the decision, they are taking precautionary measures to maintain peace in the city.

Explore: Questions after the judgement

Lawyers' arguments for/against delay in verdict

After Judge Bashir reached the accountability court on Friday morning, Additional Deputy Prosecutor General NAB Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi had opposed Nawaz and Maryam's application, saying: "At a stage when the court concludes the trial and fixes a date for the final announcement, the accused cannot file application for any relief."

He pointed out that "when the court concludes the arguments, the accused is put on notice and under the law he should be brought to court, or the court orders the accused to ensure attendance."

In a rebuttal, the defence counsel, Advocate Amjad Pervez, argued that "there is a legal requirement that the accused person should be summoned at the time of announcement of judgement, and in this case Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz both are ready to attend proceedings, but because of Kulsoom Nawaz's illness, they requested that the judgement may be postponed for a few days."

The judge, after an hour-long break, had ruled against the delay.

The Avenfield reference

The Avenfield reference ─ which pertains to the purchase of four flats in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London ─ was among the three cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the former premier and his children on the Supreme Court's orders in its landmark July 28 Panamagate verdict.

In detail: Full text of Supreme Court order in Panama Papers case

Besides Nawaz, Maryam and her husband Captain Safdar, NAB had also nominated Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz — Sharif's sons — as accused in all three SC-ordered corruption references.

The NAB prosecutor had stated before the accountability court that Nawaz Sharif had acquired the four flats.

Sharif family had insisted that they had purchased the apartments through ‘legitimate’ financial resources.

They, however, remained unable to disclose those resources before the accountability court or the Supreme Court.

The apex court had directed the accountability court to conclude proceedings within six months and appointed Justice Ijazul Ahsan — who was a member of the bench that heard Panama Papers case — as a “supervisory judge” for the trial.

Read more: Iqama — the missing link with Panama?

The proceeding in the Avenfield reference commenced in September and the accountability court indicted Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar on October 19.

According to the JIT report submitted in the Panamagate case, the Sharifs have given contradictory statements about their London flats and found that the flats actually belonged to them since 1993.

The home of Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is pictured in central London on July 6, 2018. —AFP

The report said Hassan Nawaz had contradicted the statement of his brother Hussain Nawaz about the Avenfield apartments, who had earlier stated that only apartment No 17 was in his possession in 1994.

Contrarily, Hassan confirmed that three Avenfield apartments (No 16, 16A and 17) were already in possession of Hussain when he had arrived in London in 1994, while they got the possession of the fourth apartment (17A) in the next six months.

Analysis: What next for Nawaz Sharif?

The JIT observed that either one or both brothers had lied to hide some facts and hence they could not be given the benefit of doubt.

It said Nawaz Sharif had distanced himself from the apartments and could not explain the time frame and procedure adopted for obtaining the possession of Avenfield apartments by his sons, and was even uncertain about which son claimed the ownership of the flats now.

But Nawaz told the JIT that he usually stayed in apartment No 16 (Avenfield) whenever he visited London.

The prosecution produced 21 witnesses in the Avenfield reference, including star witness Wajid Zia, the head of the joint investigation team (JIT) which probed the Panamgate case, Director General NAB Zahir Shah, British forensic expert Robert William Radley and solicitor Akhtar Riaz Raja, who is Zia's cousin, among others.

In May this year, Nawaz, his daughter and son-in-law recorded their statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) after which the court invited final arguments from the prosecution and the defence counsel.

The lead defence counsel Khawaja Haris initially withdrew from Sharif's defence over the court beginning the final arguments since he was of the view that the accountability court instead of calling for final arguments should first conclude testimony of prosecution witnesses in other two references – Al Azizia Steel Mills and Flagship Investment.

However, he rejoined the legal team after Nawaz left for the United Kingdom in mid-June where his spouse Kulsoom Nawaz is undergoing medical treatment.

Haris took seven days to conclude the final arguments after which the counsel of Maryam and Safdar started his final arguments.

During the course of arguments, the defence counsel cited a number of judgements of the superior courts to prove that the case against the former prime minister and his family was devoid of evidence.

Nawaz and Maryam have appeared before the court around 100 times, according to media reports.</s>In a major blow to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), the Accountability Court on Sunday convicted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years of imprisonment and slapped a fine worth €8 million, while daughter Maryam Nawaz was handed seven years of jail term in the Avenfield reference corruption case. The verdict was part of the Avenfield properties reference case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Alongwith Sharif, his son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar was given a one year sentence.

After the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan’s prime minister in the Panama case in July 2017, the NAB, filed three corruption references against the Sharif family. The Avenfield reference pertains to the purchase of four flats in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London. Along with the former Pakistani premiere, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt Safdar was also named in the case. According to Dawn, the NAB prosecutor had stated before the accountability court that Nawaz Sharif had acquired the four flats. However, the Sharif family insisted that the flats were purchased through legitimately. Nawaz Sharif conviction LIVE updates

The Sharif family, however, failed to declare the financial resources with which they claimed to have purchased the flats. According to the JIT report submitted in the Panamagate case, the Sharifs have given contradictory statements about their London flats and found that the flats actually belonged to them since 1993. The report said Hassan Nawaz had contradicted the statement of his brother Hussain Nawaz about the Avenfield apartments, who had earlier stated that only apartment No 17 was in his possession in 1994. Contrarily, Hassan confirmed that three Avenfield apartments (No 16, 16A and 17) were already in possession of Hussain when he had arrived in London in 1994, while they got the possession of the fourth apartment (17A) in the next six months, Dawn reported.

The JIT in its observation concluded that either one or both the brothers were lying in the matter.

With the conviction of both Maryam Nawaz and Capt Safdar in the case, they stand debarred from contesting the upcoming Parliamentary elections in Pakistan which will dampen the hopes of PMLN which was planning to make a comeback to power.

For all the latest What Is News, download Indian Express App</s>The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court on Friday convicted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years of prison and a financial penalty of worth €8 million, while his daughter Maryam Nawaz was handed 7 years of imprisonment and a fine of £2 million, his son-in-law Safdar Awan was given 1 year sentence for not co-operating in the Avenfield reference corruption case.

The case pertains to a number of properties against the Sharif family in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London.

In 2015 Panama Papers leak revealed that Nawaz Sharif’s children had links with foreign companies, that were being used to channel funds and buy foreign flats, including these flats in Avenfield in UK.

Sharif was disqualified as Pakistan’s prime minister in 2017 by the Supreme Court in regard to the Panama paper case.

After the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif, the NAB had filed 3 corruption cases related to these flats in Avenfield reference. The Sharif family failed to declare the financial resources with which they claimed to have bought these disputed flats. According to the Joint Investigating Team (JIT) report submitted in Panamagate case, the sharifs gave contradictory statements about the London flats that actually belonged to them since 1993.

The JIT concluded that Sharifs were lying in the matter.

However, the Sharifs insist that they legitimately acquired the 4 disputed properties.

The NAB court has also asked the federal government to confiscate the properties.

There has been much apprehension regarding the delay in the verdict. However, the judge said that delay was because of the need to photocopy the judgement, which is more than 100 pages long for both the defence and the prosecution.</s>Ousted prime minister and his daughter found guilty of failing to disclose ownership of Avenfield apartments

An Accountability Court in Islamabad on Friday rendered it verdict in the Avenfield corruption reference against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s family, sentencing the ousted PMLN leader to 10 years’ imprisonment. The judgment also sentences Sharif’s daughter Maryam to 7 years’ imprisonment and her husband, Muhammad Safdar, to 1 year in jail.

The verdict, announced to media by the prosecution’s lawyer, has also announced fines in addition to the jail terms. Nawaz Sharif has been fined GBP8 million, while Maryam has been fined GBP2 million. These funds will be disbursed to the federal government, according to the judgment. In addition, the government has been ordered to confiscate the property.

Maryam Nawaz Sharif also stands disqualified from contesting the 2018 general elections after the verdict.

Judge Mohammad Bashir announced the judgment after earlier rejecting a plea by Sharif and his daughter Maryam to reserve it for seven days to allow them to return home from London, where they are currently visiting Kulsoom Nawaz, who is a cancer patient and is reportedly in critical condition. Of the accused, only Captain Safdar is currently in Pakistan; Nawaz and his children are all in London with their ailing mother.

Addressing a press conference after the verdict, PMLN President Shahbaz Sharif said his party and the “entire nation” had rejected it. “Nawaz Sharif’s name never even appeared in the Panama reference,” he said, adding that there was no solid evidence to implicate his elder brother. He also questioned NAB’s expedited procedure in the Sharif case, noting that there were cases with far greater alleged corruption that had been pending for years.

The Avenfield reference revolves around the purchase of four flats in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London and is one of a number of corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau against Nawaz Sharif and his children following the premier’s ouster from office by the Supreme Court through its Panamagate verdict. In addition to Nawaz, Maryam, and her husband Captain Muhammad Safdar, NAB also nominated Sharif’s sons Hussain and Hassan as co-accused in the corruption references.

According to NAB, the Sharif family had failed to disclose the resources used to purchase the apartments despite claiming they had all been acquired through legitimate sources. A JIT report used to establish NAB’s case had also alleged that the Sharif family had given contradictory reports about when they had purchased the apartments, adding that records showed they had owned them since 1993.</s>Pakistan former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced to 10 years in jail in Avenfield corruption case by an anti-corruption court on Friday while his daughter Maryam Sharif was sentenced to 7 years in the Avenfield corruption case. Nawaz Sharif’s son-in-law Safdar was given a year sentence. The anti-corruption court has also imposed a fine of 8 million pounds on Nawaz Sharif while Maryam Sharif received a fine of two million pounds. Now, Maryam Sharif who is a Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader can’t contest elections.

Reacting to the court’s judgement, Punjab province Chief Minister and current president of PML(N) Shahbaz Sharif said that they will take all legal and constitutional routes to fight for justice. Nawaz Sharif has always fought bravely, he added.

Experts believe that it is a very significant political development as general elections in Pakistan will be held this month. It is a major setback for Nawaz Sharif’s party which is contesting the election on all parliamentary seats.

Further speaking on the matter, brother of convict Nawaz Sharif said that all PML(N) candidates are going to contest in upcoming elections and during their campaign, they will make people aware about the injustice that was done to us and our disappointment in the decision.</s>Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been sentenced to 10 years in jail for corruption, while his daughter Maryam Sharif has been given seven years. The verdict was delivered by an accountability court in Pakistan in one of the four cases of corruption against Nawaz Sharif - the Avenfield corruption case, which is related to the ownership of four flats in the posh Avenfield House in London.

"(Nawaz Sharif) has been awarded 10 years imprisonment" over the purchase of high-end properties in London, defence lawyer Mohammad Aurangzeb told news agency AFP. Prosecution lawyer Sardar Muzaffar Abbas also said that the court had ordered the properties be confiscated.

The verdict comes three weeks before general elections in Pakistan on July 25.

Both Nawaz Sharif and Maryam are in London, attending to the former PM's wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, who was diagnosed with throat cancer last year and shifted to the UK for treatment. Since then, Maryam and Nawaz Sharif have made several trips back and forth from London to attend the hearings and attend to Kulsoom.

Nawaz Sharif wanted the announcement of the verdict delayed by a week, but that request was dismissed by the court today. Mr Sharif had said he wanted to hear the judgement of the case while standing in the courtroom where he "endured more than 100 hearings" with his daughter.

Nawaz Sharif and Maryam were also fined heavily by the court. While Nawaz Sharif will have to pay $10 million, his daughter has been fined $2.6 million.

The Avenfield case was among the four corruption cases filed against the former PM and his children by the NAB on the Supreme Court's orders in the Panama Papers case which disqualified Nawaz Sharif.

Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, resigned from the post last year after Pakistan's Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal.</s>Maryam Nawaz, daughter of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said on Saturday that she and her father will return to Pakistan on July 13.

This came a day after Sharif was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of eight million pounds in the Avenfield reference case, while his daughter was sentenced to 7 years of jail and fined two million pounds by the accountability court.

Speaking to media in London, Maryam said that due process will be adopted while challenging the verdict, adding that legal consultations are underway. She also said that the lawyers are exploring the case through all legal angles, Geo TV reported.

Asked on approaching the UK government on the matter, Maryam said that no illegality was carried out. She further underscored that the Pakistani authorities should “use red warrants to bring back dictators”, who violated the country’s constitution.

Meanwhile, free online encyclopaedia Wikipedia has locked Maryam’s profile page for one year after “abusive edits” were seen on the page.

Saqib Qayyum of Wikipedia’s Help Desk told The Express Tribune on Saturday, “This is not the first time her page has been locked. However, her page has not been locked for this long before. People added criminal multiple times in the lead section and tried to change her birth year from 1973 to 1960. The information present in the lead section appears in the Google knowledge graph, next to the search result.”

“Maryam’s Wikipedia profile has been getting 1,000 unique hits since January. We received around 15,000 unique hits yesterday,” he added.

Maryam is barred from contesting the general elections slated to be held on July 25. Her husband Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar was also sentenced to one year of imprisonment.

The accountability court also issued permanent arrest warrants of Sharif’s sons – Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz respectively.

Sharif and Maryam are in London since June 14 visiting the former’s wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, who is undergoing cancer treatment there.</s>Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on Friday sentenced to 10 years in prison by the accountability court in a corruption case.

Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz was sentenced to seven years in prison while her husband Captain (retd) Safdar was given a year in jail in the case filed by the National Accountability Bureau, Dawn reported.

The Sharif family has been charged with corruption in three cases.

Accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir announced the verdict after several delays since morning. The court ruled that the Sharif family's Avenfield apartments in London shall be seized by the federal government.

The former Prime Minister and his daughter were not present in the country while Sharif's son-in-law was missing from the court.

Maryam Nawaz and her husband stand barred from contesting the July 25 election from Lahore and Mansehra respectively.

The father-daughter duo had earlier sought a seven-day exemption, stating they wanted to be in court when the judgment was announced. However, the plea was dismissed and the verdict was announced in their absence.</s>Pakistan’s deposed premier Nawaz Sharif was today sentenced in absentia to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by an anti-graft court in one of the three corruption cases against him in the Panama Papers scandal, dealing a huge blow to his party ahead of the elections on July 25. Sharif’s 44-year-old daughter and co-accused Maryam was given seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of two million pounds, while her husband Capt (Retd) Muhammad Safdar was jailed for one year for not cooperating with the anti-graft authorities.

Amid tight security, the court delivered the much-anticipated verdict after postponing it for five times during the day in the Avenfield corruption case — pertaining to the ownership of four flats in the posh Avenfield House in London. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed the case, along with two others, on the Supreme Court’s directives in the landmark Panamagate verdict last year which disqualified Sharif, the three-time prime minister.

Sharif, 68, is currently in London attending to his wife Kulsoom Nawaz who was diagnosed with throat cancer last year. The ruling came weeks before the general elections in Pakistan on July 25 and analysts say it could adversely hit the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), the party headed by Sharif.

After the verdict, Maryam and Safdar were disqualified from contesting elections. NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi said the accused have 10 days to file an appeal against the verdict. Soon after the verdict, Maryam, considered to be Sharif’s heir apparent, took to Twitter to share this message: “This is a very small punishment for firmly standing in front of unseen forces. The moral to fight against oppression has increased today.”

Islamabad-based accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir pronounced the verdict behind closed doors. Earlier, he had rejected the application of the Sharif family seeking a seven-day postponement in the announcement of the verdict. “The court sentenced Sharif to 10 years rigorous imprisonment and fined eight million pounds (over USD 10 million). Maryam was given seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed two million pounds (over USD 2.6 million) and her husband Muhammad Safdar was awarded one-year rigorous imprisonment,” the NAB prosecution team chief Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi told media outside the court.

The court also ordered confiscation of Avenfield apartments in favour of Pakistan. The fine money will go into the state treasury. “I congratulate my all prosecution team… It is a victory of the NAB prosecution,” Abbasi said. He also said that the verdict showed that Avenfield apartments were purchased with corruption money and were in the ownership of Sharif family since 1993. According to media reports, Sharif and Maryam were in their apartment in the Avenfield building in London when the decision was announced.

Besides Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Safdar, his sons Hassan and Hussain were also co-accused. The two sons never appeared before the court and were declared as absconders. Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister last year after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal.

The Avenfield case hearing lasted for more than nine months and both Sharif and his daughter attended dozens of hearings. During the trial, the NAB presented around 21 witnessed to prove that Sharif family cannot justify the money trail to buy four apartments in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London. It is alleged that the properties were allegedly bought with grant money in 1990s when he served twice as the prime minister.

Sharif rejected any wrongdoing and insisted they were bought with the legitimate money. After the conviction, it was not sure if Sharif and Maryam would come back to face rigorous imprisonment. Analysts believe that if they return, it might boost the chances of good showing in elections by the PML-N due to the sympathy vote.

Sharif’s nemesis Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) said even before the verdict that Sharif will be sent to jail due to his corruption, as he accused him of using illness of his wife Kulsoom as “emotional blackmail”. “Sharif did not remember his wife while she was under treatment in London and he was holding public meetings across the country,” the cricketer-turned-politician said.</s>ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A Pakistani court found former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif guilty of corruption in a verdict that will likely affect the country’s election, a campaign in which his party had been the front-runner.

Mr. Sharif, who was prime minister until last year, was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison, while his daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, received a sentence of seven years.
In the Avenfield corruption case, the court announced a 10 year sentence and 8 million pound fine for the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif. His daughter and political heir, Maryam Nawaz, was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and a 2 million pound fine. Sharif's son-in-law, Muhammad Safdar Awan, received a one-year sentence.