Islamabad, Pakistan - Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and two family members were released from prison on Wednesday after being found guilty of corruption earlier this year.

Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were convicted in July by an anti-corruption court of not being able to prove the source of assets used to buy a set of upmarket London flats.

After his release, Sharif flew to his family home in Lahore and was greeted by jubilant supporters at the airport.

Earlier on Wednesday, Islamabad High Court judge Athar Minallah ruled the National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan's anti-corruption watchdog, was unable to prove a financial link between the former prime minister and the apartments in question.

A two-member bench, led by Minallah, suspended the jail sentences while hearing the Sharifs' appeal against their convictions.

Their convictions will stand, although their sentences have been suspended.

Sharif had been sentenced to 10 years in jail and a $10.5m fine, his daughter Maryam to a seven-year jail sentence, and a $2.6m fine, and Maryam's husband Safdar to a year in prison.

Sharif remains barred from running for public office for life after the Supreme Court in April ruled he had lied on a parliamentary wealth declaration and the disqualification from that crime would last for an indefinite period.

'N o corruption proved'

Hamza Shehbaz, Nawaz Sharif's nephew, said the family was thankful for the ruling.

"Today is a happy day that our leader will be released from jail. We are thankful to Allah. As I said earlier, this verdict from the anti-corruption court, it was clear that there was no corruption proved against Nawaz Sharif. Hopefully, we will show that there is nothing to this case.

"Today's fundamental news is that the verdict by the anti-corruption court against Nawaz Sharif was very weak, and ... hopefully, we will continue our legal battle against all the other cases."

The National Accountability Bureau is expected to appeal the Islamabad High Court's verdict at the Supreme Court.

Hearings in two other corruption cases against Sharif and his family are continuing at an anti-corruption court.

Wednesday's decision will come as a blow to Sharif's bitter political rival Imran Khan, who swept a July general election following Sharif's conviction and jailing.

Khan, now prime minister, was in Saudi Arabia on a state visit when the decision was announced.</s>The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday ordered the release of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam, and suspended the jail sentence that was awarded to them by a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court, according to Reuters.

The court was hearing an appeal by Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar against the sentences awarded to them on 6 July and also accepted their petitions, reported Dawn.

A two-judge bench comprising of justices Athar Minallah and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb gave the judgment on petitions filed by Nawaz, Maryam and Captain Safdar challenging the Avenfield verdict against them, reported Geo News. Ordering their release, the bench directed Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law to submit bail bonds worth Rs 500,000 each. The sentences will remain suspended till final adjudication of the appeals filed by the petitioners.

Sharif, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar were serving jail terms of 11-years, six years and one year, respectively in the Adiala Jail after the accountability court convicted them over the family's ownership of four luxury flats in London through illegal means.

Earlier on Monday it was reported by PTI that Pakistan’s Supreme Court Monday had rejected as "frivolous" the petition of the country's top anti-graft body, NAB, against Islamabad High Court's decision to hear the appeals of Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law against their conviction in the Avenfield apartment corruption case.

The apex court had also imposed a fine of 20,000 Pakistani rupees on NAB.

According to GeoNews, Justice Athar Minallah, who was part of a two-judge bench (also featuring Justice Miangul Hassan) hearing the petition by the Sharifs, pointed out lack of evidence to prove that Nawaz owned the flats. Nawaz, Maryam and Capt (retd) Safdar were also directed to submit bail bonds worth 5 lakh Pakistani rupees each.

Below is a detailed timeline of how the Avenfiled case progressed over the years:

4 April, 2016: The leaked Panama Papers show involvement of Sharif’s family in offshore companies including two used to buy luxury homes in London.

28 October, 2016: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan threatens to paralyse the capital, Islamabad, with a “lockdown” of street protests unless demands for an independent investigation into the Panama revelations are met. Sharif denies any wrongdoing.

2 November 2016: Supreme Court agrees to set up a judicial commission to probe corruption allegations against Sharif, stemming from Panama Papers leaks. Khan backs down from lockdown threat.

28 July, 2017: Supreme Court declares Sharif disqualified from office for not declaring income from a company in United Arab Emirates, which was not in original Panama Papers revelations. The court also orders the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to open a criminal trial into ownership of the London flats along with several other Panama Papers revelations.

13 April, 2018: The Supreme Court further rules Sharif is banned from political office for life.

6 July, 2018: The NAB court convicts Sharif, his daughter Maryama and her husband Captain Safdar of corruption. Sharif was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in prison, while Maryam was sentenced to eight years and Safdar was sentenced to one years in prison in the Avenfield properties reference.

13 July 2018: Upon their arrival from the UK, Sharif, Maryam and Safdar were sent to the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Subsequently appeals were filed in Islamaba High Court to suspend the jail sentence against the Sharifs.

15 September 2018: NAB moves Supreme Court to stop Islamabad High Court from suspending jail sentence against the Sharifs.</s>New Delhi: Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended jail sentence of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Avenfield properties corruption case. The court has also suspended jail terms of Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar.

Last week, Sharif along with his daughter Maryam and son-in-law captain Safdar was released on parole following the death of former first lady of Pakistan, Begum Kulsoom Nawaz.

Sharif, 68, daughter Maryam, 44, and his son-in-law were arrested in Lahore on July 13 soon after they arrived in Pakistan from London. An accountability court had found them guilty over his family's ownership of four luxury flats in London.

The Sharifs were taken to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has alleged that Sharif has been kept in the abysmal condition in the jail and deprived of even the basic facilities.

The health condition of the former Pakistan prime minister deteriorated in the jail, following which he was admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) due to cardiac complications. The floor where Sharif was admitted was declared a sub-jail and no one was allowed to meet him. He was later moved back to Adiala jail after his medical condition improved.</s>The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday ordered the release of former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and her husband Captain Safdar and suspended their jail terms in connection with a corruption case, Dawn reported.

In July, a lower court sentenced Sharif to 10 years in jail, Maryam to seven years and Safdar to a year in prison.

The High Court was hearing their appeals in the case on Wednesday. It accepted the petitions and suspended their sentence meanwhile. They are expected to be released soon, after the formalities are completed, reports said. The court also directed them to submit bail bonds worth Rs 5 lakh each.

The National Accountability Bureau had filed three cases related to the purchase of four flats in London’s Avenfield House against Sharif and his children. The bureau registered the case on the basis of the Supreme Court’s orders in its July 28 Panamagate verdict, which removed Sharif from the post of prime minister.

The agency had also named Sharif’s sons – Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz – as accused in the three cases. Sharif’s family insisted that they had purchased the apartments with “legitimate” financial resources but were unable to disclose those resources before either the accountability court or the Supreme Court.</s>Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended conviction of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (Retd) Muhammad Safdar awarded by the Accountability Court in Avenfield reference.

 The short judgment was delivered by the two member bench of the court consisting Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb in Islamabad. The judges accepted the convicts’ petitions against the Avenfield verdict, ruling that the sentences would remain suspended until the final judgment on their appeals.

 The court asked them to submit surety bonds worth five hundred thousand rupees each for their release on bail. The bench ruled that their sentences would remain suspended till final adjudication of their appeals.

 The Accountability Court had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to ten year rigorous imprisonment, his daughter Maryam Nawaz seven years and son at law Capt. (Retired) Muhammad Safdar one year on 6th of July this year. They had filed petitions in Islamabad High Court for suspension of their conviction on 17th of July this year.

 Earlier, The NAB approached the Supreme Court against hearing of the suspension plea by Islamabad High Court but the apex court rejected the NAB petition terming it frivolous.

 Later in evening on Wednesday, Former premier Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Captain (Retired) Mohammad Safdar were released from Adiala prison following the verdict of the IHC suspended their sentences in the Avenfield corruption reference.

 The former premier, his daughter and son-in-law were moved to Lahore from Noor Khan Airbase amid stringent security.

 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif arrived at Adiala prison to take the former premier with him.

 Meanwhile the National Accountability Bureau has decided to challenge Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (Retired) Safdar’s suspension of punishment by Islamabad High court in Supreme Court. This was decided in a high level meeting chaired by Chairman NAB Javed Iqbal in Islamabad on Wednesday after the judgement of IHC.

 On the other side, PML-N Ahsan Iqbal talking to media said that the IHC verdict proves that the NAB decision was based on revenge. Former Plaaning minister stated that the objective of Nawaz’s sentence was to oust him from the elections and make Imran successful.</s>The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended the jail term for former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield corruption reference case. The high court ordered their release suspending the sentences a lower court handed them in July over the purchase of upscale apartments in London. The shocking verdict left everyone talking online and most were very unhappy.

The convictions are still under appeal with the same Islamabad High Court, but the judge said they should be freed immediately while the case continues, Reuters reported. “The prosecution has failed to show the properties belong to Nawaz Sharif,” Justice Athar Minallah told the court. “It also failed to prove how was Maryam Nawaz sentenced under the same charge sheet which convicted Nawaz Sharif.”

While supporters of Sharif broke out in exuberant celebrations, reaction online was quite different.

The case against Sharif stemmed from 2016 Panama Papers revelations that showed his family owned the London apartments through offshore companies.

For all the latest Trending News, download Indian Express App</s>The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended the jail terms handed to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar in the Avenfield corruption reference, the Dawn reported.

The court’s judgement was based on an appeal filed by the Sharifs and Capt Safdar against their conviction by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on July 6. The court accepted their petitions and suspended their sentences pending final adjudication of appeals.

The NAB had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in one of the three corruption cases against him in the Panama Papers scandal. His daughter and co-accused Maryam was handed seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of two million pounds.

According to media reports, 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 witnesses to prove that the Sharif family cannot justify the money trail to buy four apartments in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London.

It was alleged that the properties were bought with corruption money in the 1990s when he served twice as the Prime Minister. Sharif rejected any wrongdoing and insisted they were bought with the legitimate money.</s>A Pakistani court has suspended the prison sentences of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law, and set them free on bail pending their appeal hearings.

A Pakistani court has suspended the prison sentences of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law, and set them free on bail pending their appeal hearings.

The Islamabad High Court made the decision on a corruption case handed down to the Sharifs by a tribunal earlier this year.

The court also ordered Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, be released once they each post a bond of half a million rupees, or about £3,000.

The three are serving 10, seven and one-year prison sentences, respectively.

Sharif was disqualified from office by the country’s Supreme Court last year over corruption allegations. He faces several court cases at home.

The former prime minister was briefly released earlier this month for his wife’s funeral.</s>What happens next after IHC orders Nawaz Sharif's release?

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday suspended jail terms handed down to Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar.

The applicants have been asked to submit suerty bonds of Rs5 00,000 each before they are released from Adiala Jail.

The decision to suspend the Accountability Court decision in Avenfield Reference against the Sharif family was given by a division bench of the Islamabad High Court comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mian Gul Hassan.

The release would remain a temporary relief for the former prime minister and his family members until the the court gives the final decision on their application seeking suspension of their conviction in Avenfield Reference.

Apart from the Avenfield Reference, Sharifs face jail terms if they are convicted in two more corruption references related to Al-Azizia and Flagship references.

The cases against the family stemmed from Panama Papers case in April 2016.

He said Mian Nawaz Sharif was jailed in order to pave the way Imran Khan, the incumbent prime minister.

Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Captain Safdar were released on parole last week to take part in last rites of Begum Kulsoom Nawaz who died in London.

They were sent back to the Adiala Jail on Monday.</s>A top Pakistani court Wednesday suspended the jail sentences of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law in a corruption case and ordered their release from a high-security prison. 



 A two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court heard the petitions filed by former Sharif, 68, his daughter Maryam and son-in-law Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar challenging their conviction related to the purchase of luxury flats in London. 



 Justice Athar Minallah read the judgment and suspended the sentences handed to them by the accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir on July 6. Sharif, 68, Maryam, 44, and Safdar, 54, were sentenced to 11 years, eight years and one year, respectively, in prison in the Avenfield properties case.

 

The two-judge bench ordered the release of the former premier, his daughter and son-in-law from the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

 

Sharif, Maryam and Safdar were also directed to submit bail bonds worth Rs 500,000. 

 

The court also dismissed the National Accountability Bureau's request to first announce a judgment on the maintainability of the pleas. The bench also imposed a fine on the NAB lawyers earlier for using delaying tactics. 



 The NAB was also pulled up by the Supreme Court on Monday when it rejected its petition challenging the IHC's decision to hear Sharifs' petitions against the Avenfield verdict. 

 

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar termed the NAB petition as frivolous and imposed a Rs 20,000 fine on the anti-corruption watchdog. 



 A large number of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Shehbaz Sharif, Pervaiz Rashid and Khurram Dastgir, were present in the courtroom for the hearing.



 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 was among the three corruption cases filed against the three-time former premier and his children by the NAB on the Supreme Court's orders in the Panama Papers case which disqualified Sharif.
Islamabad High Court suspends the NAB accountability court sentences and orders the release of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar Awan. However, the convictions remain standing.