Islamabad (HRNW) Islamabad High Court (IHC) said Thursday that PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt (retd) Muhammad Safdar’s conviction in the Avenfield reference was without “justification or basis”.
“…the prosecution has not been able to prove its case against [Maryam and Safdar] and the conviction recorded against [them] is without justification or basis,” the IHC said in a 41-page detailed order.
An accountability court, just ahead of the 2018 General Elections, slapped Maryam with a fine of £2 million and sentenced her to seven years for being “instrumental in concealment of the properties of her father” and one year for non-cooperation with the bureau — sentences which were due to run concurrently.
PML-N Supremo Nawaz Sharif was also sentenced to 10 years in jail for possessing assets disproportionate to the known sources of income, while Maryam’s husband was handed down two-year rigorous imprisonment.
In August 2019, Maryam was arrested in the case — while she was visiting her father in prison. Later, a local court granted bail in November 2019.