Court dismisses three pleas against auction of Nawaz Sharif’s seized properties

According to details, the decision was announced by accountability Judge Asghar Ali on the three pleas moved by Ashraf Malik, Iqbal and Barkat Aslam Aziz seeking to stop auction of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s seized properties.

The verdict was earlier reserved by court following the conclusion of arguments of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor and the applicants’ lawyers.

Even on May May 19, Islamabad High Court (IHC) had dismissed three petitions filed against the auction of three properties associated with Nawaz Sharif.

The short verdict was announced by IHC judge Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mahmood Jahangiri in the Toshakhana case.

The court in its verdict stated that the petitioners have an alternative forum and they can approach the trial court to stop the auction. The order added that the court cannot hear these petitions under Article 199 of the Constitution of Pakistan if there is an alternative forum.

On April 22, the accountability court had ordered the revenue authorities of the Punjab government to auction unclaimed properties of the former prime minister within two months citing him as an absconder in Tosha­khana reference.

The petitioners namely Mian Barkat Ali, Aslam Aziz and Ashraf Malik challenged the auction of these properties.

Toshakhana Reference

The anti-corruption watchdog has alleged that former president Asif Ali Zardari had obtained luxury vehicles by paying only 15% of the price of the vehicles. Later, one of those vehicles, a 1991 model Mercedes, was gifted to Nawaz Sharif.

NAB alleged that former premier Yousuf Raza Gilani had facilitated the allotment of the vehicles to Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari by dishonestly and illegally relaxing the procedure for acceptance and disposal of gifts vide a Cabinet Division memorandum of 2007.

On April 23, Judge Syed Asghar Ali had directed the deputy commissioners of Lahore and Sheikhupura to sell immovable properties within 60 days, including House N0.135, Upper Mall, Lahore and 88.4 kannals of agricultural land.