The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday rejected two review petitions filed by deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, challenging the apex court’s landmark July 28 verdict in Panamagate case.
The case against the former prime minister stemmed from the Panama Papers leak last year, which spurred a media frenzy over the extravagant lifestyles and high-end London property portfolio of the Sharif dynasty.
“All these review petitions are dismissed,” said top court justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa who oversaw the five-member review panel.
During the hearings of the case, Salman Akram Raja, counsel for Sharif’s children, had adopted the arguments given by the deposed PM’s attorney Khawaja Haris. The bench assured him that the trial of the ruling family would not be prejudiced against them.
Renowned lawyer Salman Akram Raja had filed the review petition on August 25 on behalf of Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz, sons Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz and son-in-law Captain Safdar, as he requested the top court to suspend operation of its July 28 order.
Hearing a slew of petitions filed after the emergence of the Panama Papers, the top court’s five-judge bench disqualified Nawaz and directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file references against the former PM and his children in an accountability court. The court had also ordered that one of the members of the bench oversee the proceedings.
According to the petitioners, the final order of the court is ‘coram non judice’ as the five-member bench did not have jurisdiction to oversee the proceedings in another court.
They claim that the court’s directions to NAB as to how to proceed with the probe, what evidence to collect, how many references to file and before which accountability court as well as its order to monitor the investigation and trial of the references is violative of the principle of trichotomy of powers.
Last month, Sharif led legions of supporters from the capital Islamabad to his hometown, Lahore, in a days-long procession that brought thousands into the streets in a show of force.
During the trip Sharif repeatedly blasted the court’s actions, saying the decision was an ‘insult’ to Pakistanis.
The latest ruling comes days ahead of a by-election to fill Sharif’s parliamentary seat in Lahore that is being contested by his wife Kulsoom, who is being treated for throat cancer in London.
The seat has long been controlled by Sharif and his allies who consider Lahore to be their political stronghold.
