NAB submits reply on Sharif's bail plea

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) here on Saturday submitted its reply in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the plea seeking suspension of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's sentence in Al-Azizia Steel Mills case.

In its reply, the anti-corruption watchdog has opposed the suspension of Sharif's sentence and requested the court to reject his plea, Dunya News reported.

Sharif cannot be released on bail as he is a convict and the accountability court had punished him after analysing the evidence, the NAB has stated.

Last month, a two-judge IHC bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani issued a notice to the federal government, the NAB and the superintendent of the jail to submit their responses on the matter within two weeks.

On March 26, the Supreme Court had granted a six-week bail to the former Prime Minister on medical grounds, which expired on May 7.

Apart from seeking suspension of his sentence, the petition, filed by Sharif on May 20, also said that the three-time Prime Minister had invested in his children's companies.

His sons, Hussain and Hassan, had no known sources of income and they were under the guardianship of their father, according to Sharif's plea.

The case will be next heard on June 25.

In December last year, accountability court judge Arshad Malik had convicted Sharif in the Al-Azizia/Hill Metal Establishment reference. The court sentenced him seven-year imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1.5 billion and USD 25 million on him.

Besides, the leader was also disqualified from holding any public office for a period of 10 years. The disqualification will go into effect following his release from jail after serving the seven-year sentence.