Avenfield reference: IHC acquits Maryam Nawaz, husband Safdar

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday acquitted PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt. (retd) Muhammad Safdar in the Avenfield Reference, nullifying the conviction handed to them in 2018 by an accountability court.

According to details, the IHC division bench headed by Justice Aamer Farooq heard Maryam's appeal against the conviction in the Avenfield Reference.

The court nullified the conviction handed to Maryam Nawaz and her husband Capt. (retd) Muhammad Safdar in 2018 by an accountability court.

Avenfield case

In July 2018, an Islamabad accountability court sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison and a fine of eight million pounds was imposed on him in a case linked to the Sharif family’s purchase of upscale London flats.

It said the Sharifs could not legitimately show the money trail for the purchase of the luxury properties in London, mostly in the mid-1990s. A copy of the verdict said the Sharif family had failed to prove a legal source of income for the purchase of the Avenfield apartments.

The verdict came as a serious blow to PML-N’s troubled campaign ahead of the 2018 General Elections.

Consequently, Nawaz filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court against the judgment. It was, however, dismissed. Nawaz and his son Hussain Nawaz Sharif were declared proclaimed offenders in the case and arrest warrants were issued against them.

The PML-N founder’s daughter Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar were accused in the case as well. Maryam has been sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of two million pounds has been imposed on her. Safdar has, on the other hand, been given a punishment of a year in prison.