Pakistan anti-corruption judge who convicted Nawaz Sharif recuses from hearing 2 other graft cases

Islamabad: A Pakistani anti-corruption court judge who had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in jail in a graft case, has recused himself from hearing two other corruption cases against the former prime minister. [caption id=“attachment_4746891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif. AP[/caption] Justice Muhammad Bashir of the Islamabad Accountability Court, in a letter, addressed to Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Anwar Khan Kasi, said that the Al-Azizia steel mills and the Flagship corruption cases should be transferred to some other judge, according to the IHC sources. In the letter, the judge said that he had no objection if the cases were transferred as he could not hear these cases, they said. The move came on the heels of filing of separate appeals by Sharif, 68, his daughter Maryam, 44, and son-in-law Capt (retired) Muhammad Safdar, challenging the verdict. Earlier, Sharif’s lawyer Khawaja Haris had objected to Justice Bashir hearing the two other corruption cases. The Islamabad Accountability Court had on 6 July found Sharif, his daughter and his son-in-law guilty over the family’s ownership of four luxury flats in London. The court sentenced Sharif to a total of 10 years in prison and imposed a fine of £8 million ($10 million) in the Avenfield corruption case. Maryam was sentenced to seven years in prison along with a £2 million ($2.6 million) fine. Sharif and Maryam were arrested in Lahore on 13 July on their arrival from London. They were later taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Sharif’s son-in-law, Safdar, who was arrested on 8 July, is also lodged in the same Adiala Jail. Three-time prime minister Sharif resigned as Pakistan prime minister in 2017 after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office and ruled that graft cases be filed against the beleaguered leader and his children over the Panama Papers scandal. Last week, Sharif’s lawyer Khawaja Haris had objected to Justice Bashir hearing the two other corruption cases when the judge resumed hearing. Harris said how Judge Bashir can hear the two cases when he had already given the verdict in Avenfield case. He further said that evidence and charges in all cases are almost similar.