Pakistan's accountability court found former prime minister Nawaz Sharif guilty in the Avenfield case, awarding him 10 years rigorous imprisonment for owning assets beyond his means and one additional year for not cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), reports Khaleej Times.
His daughter Maryam Nawaz, found guilty of abetment in obtaining high-end properties in London, has been given a seven-year sentence, in addition to disqualification from holding public office for ten years. Son-in-law Captain (retd) Safdar has also been given one year for not cooperating in the probe, Khaleej Times reported.
In addition to the sentencing, Sharif and Maryam have been fined 8 million British pounds and 2 million pounds respectively.
The court has also ordered the federal government to confiscate the London apartments.
The Avenfield case was one of three references filed by NAB on orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the landmark Panama Case verdict on July 28, 2017. The other two are in their final stages and expected to conclude in the coming days, reports Khaleej Times.
The PML-N immediately rejected the verdict, calling it legally flawed. Addressing a hurriedly called press conference after the verdict, party president Shahbaz Sharif said he would "take all legal action possible so that justice may be served".
But the only legal option open to the party is appealing against the verdict at the Islamabad High Court.
"They can appeal for suspension of the sentence at the High Court," said Saif ul Mulook, a constitutional expert and former vice president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Khaleej Times reported.
