Sharif family’s lawyer advises them to appear before NAB

ISLAMABAD (NNI): Sharif family’s legal counsel Khawaja Harris has advised the family to appear before the National Accountability Bureau. Khawaja Harris has returned to Lahore after spending two days in London, informed the sources.

Sharif family had called Khawaja Harris to London and held two advisory meetings with him. The sources revealed that the Sharif family does not want to appear before the NAB because they are concerned that the trial won’t be fair.

However, Harris advised the family that appearing before the court will save them from legal complications. Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif will reach London tomorrow (Saturday) and the family is expected to further deliberate over the matter.

There are three main issues the family is focusing on; how to contest court’s verdict, the Model Town report and whether Finance Minister Ishaq Dar should resign or not, according to the sources.

The legal complications that Sharif family could face if they don’t appear before the accountability court include warrants of their arrests could be issued against them.

NAB could also seek international assistance to ensure Nawaz Sharif and his sons appear before the court under the Section 21 of the NAB Ordinance. Section 21 relates to international cooperation-request for mutual legal assistance.

On Thursday, NAB stopped the Sharif family from the sale or transfer of its properties. According to NAB officials, a letter, written with the approval of NAB director general Lahore, has been sent to Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam, and sons Hussain and Hasan.

The letter states that as per the National Accountability Ordinance 1999’s Section 23, Nawaz Sharif and his children are ordered to refrain from selling or transferring their properties. The Sharif family is presently in London where Nawaz’s wife, Kulsoom, is undergoing treatment for lymphoma.

The family failed to appear in the Islamabad Accountability Court on September 19 with regards to three references filed against them by NAB in light of the Supreme Court’s Panama case judgment of July 28.