A Pakistani anti-corruption court on Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison over the purchase of upscale London flats, prosecution lawyer Sardar Muzaffar Abbas said. Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Sharif has been sentenced to seven years in jail.
Sharif, who is in London tending to his critically ill wife, is expected to appeal.
Nawaz Sharif wanted the announcement of the verdict delayed by a week, but that request was dismissed by the court today. Mr Sharif, who is still in London along with Maryam, had said he wanted to hear the judgement of the case while standing in the courtroom where he “endured more than 100 hearings” with his daughter.
The verdict, which has already been postponed once, comes ahead of the general elections in Pakistan on 25 July and will impact the poll prospects of the Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz (PML-N), which is facing stiff competition from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf.
Nawaz Sharif and his family are facing trial in three corruption cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which are Avenfield properties, Gulf Steel Mills and Al-Azizia Steel Mills. The trial against the Sharif family had commenced on September 14 last year.
Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references, whereas Maryam and her husband Safdar are accused in the Avenfield reference.
Sharif has previously described the court proceedings against him as politically motivated and a judicial witchhunt.
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