A Pakistani accountability court has acquitted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a 37-year-old case alleging that he transferred “precious state land” here in the capital of Punjab province to one of the top barons of the country’s media as a “bribe”.
Saturday’s ruling came days after the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, made crucial amendments to the laws to lift the ban. lifetime of politicians.
The acquittal of the 73-year-old three-time former prime minister could allow him to run and lead the PML-N in the upcoming general elections scheduled for later this year.
Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by the Supreme Court. In 2018, he was ineligible to hold public office for life after a Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers case.
“A Responsibility Court in Lahore acquitted three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a case involving the illegal transfer of 54 canals (6.75 acres) of precious state land to Jang/Geo media group owner Mir Shakil-ur -Rehman in Lahore, while he was the chief minister of Punjab 37 years ago,” an official was quoted as saying by the PTI report.
“Judge Rao Abdul Jabbar acquitted him after the country’s anti-corruption body (National Accountability Office) informed the court that after recent amendments to his law (by the coalition government led by Shehbaz Sharif), the case was not falls into your preview”. said the official.
The former prime minister’s lawyer argued that NAB had malicious intent in bringing the case against his client, who was not involved in the award of the plot.
The court has already acquitted Shakil-ur-Rehman in this case.
He said that the acquittal of the main defendant proved that no crime was committed.
Therefore, it argued that it was useless to keep the process pending against any other defendant, including the convicted one, after the acquittal of the main defendant.
The judge accepted the lawyer’s arguments and acquitted Nawaz Sharif in the case.
NAB’s previous charge sheet accused Nawaz Sharif, who was also Chairman of Lahore Development (LDA) in 1986, of abusing his authority and giving Rehman undue benefit by approving the exemption of 54 precious parcels measuring one canal each. one in a single block (compact form) situated on the canal bank H- Block of MA Jauhar Town, Lahore.
NAB alleged that the defendant caused a loss of Rs 143 crore to the national treasury through the allocation of land.
Nawaz Sharif, the ruling Supreme Leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has been living in self-exile in the UK since November 2019.
Prior to his departure for London on a four-wheeler bail from the Lahore High Court on medical grounds, Sharif was serving a seven-year prison sentence in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) head and ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged that former army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had maneuvered to get Sharif out of jail and later struck a deal with him. .
The PML-N says its supreme leader will return to Pakistan once the general election date is announced.
Elections in the country are scheduled for October, as the current government’s term ends on August 13.