Nawaz emphasized that he had entrusted matters to Allah, and he expressed thanks to Allah for the favourable outcome.
Allah vindicated us, says Nawaz Sharif. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has expressed his gratitude to Allah after being acquitted in the Avenfield reference by the Islamabad High Court.
Reacting to the court decision, he stated, “Allah has made us triumphant today.”
Nawaz Sharif emphasized that he had entrusted matters to Allah, and he expressed thanks to Allah for the favourable outcome.
Earlier, the Islamabad High Court nullified his sentence in the Avenfield reference, leading to his acquittal.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) withdrew the appeal against the acquittal in the flagship case, and the Islamabad High Court formally disposed of the appeal following NAB’s withdrawal.
The case history
The Avenfield reference centers around the acquisition of four flats in Avenfield House, Park Lane, London. This case was one of three initiated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against the former prime minister and his offspring following the Supreme Court’s directive in the landmark Panamagate verdict on July 28.
Commencing in September 2017, the proceedings in the Avenfield reference led to the indictment of Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, and Safdar on October 19, 2017, as declared by an accountability court.
In the Panamagate case’s Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, it was revealed that the Sharif family had provided conflicting statements regarding their ownership of the London flats. The report concluded that the flats had, in fact, been in their possession since 1993. Notably, Nawaz Sharif distanced himself from the apartments, struggled to elucidate the timeframe and procedures involved in his sons obtaining ownership of the Avenfield apartments, and remained uncertain about which son currently claimed ownership.
More From FactFile: Nawaz Sharif acquitted in Avenfield reference
In a significant development, an accountability court in July 2018 sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison for possessing assets beyond his known income and an additional year for non-cooperation with the NAB in this case. The verdict also included a fine of £8 million. This legal episode unfolds against the backdrop of the broader Panamagate scandal, shaping the political and legal landscape in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the IHC registrar office will give the date of the next hearing of the appeal in the Al-Azizia reference.
