An Islamabad accountability court on Tuesday acquitted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s sons — Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz — in three corruption references related to the Panama Papers.
In 2018, Nawaz’s sons were declared proclaimed offenders after they failed to join the investigation in Avenfield Apartment, Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Earlier this month, Hussain and Hassan, through their counsel Qazi Misbahul Hassan, decided to surrender before the court to face the trial proceedings and sought suspension of the warrants issued against them.
After an accountability court suspended their warrants till March 14, both returned to Pakistan on March 12, ending their six-year-long self-imposed exile in London.
Last week, the court reopened the references against Hussain and Hassan after suspending their perpetual arrest warrants and granting them bail against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.
Accountability judge Nasir Javed Rana announced the verdict today that was reserved earlier in the day, accepting the acquittal pleas.
Hussain and Hassan Nawaz left the country in 2018 after they were named in the corruption cases. They were declared proclaimed offenders for not joining the investigation and court proceedings, and subsequently, their arrest warrants were issued.
The PML-N had kept their return a “low-key” affair as the media was not informed about it. Both had landed at the Lahore airport from London and were escorted to their Jati Umra residence under tight security of the Punjab police.
More to follow