In July 2018, Nawaz Sharif, then the prime minister, received a 10-year jail term in the Avenfield properties corruption reference for possessing assets beyond known income. Additionally, he was sentenced to one year for non-cooperation with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Both sentences were to be served concurrently.
The Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference led to his seven-year imprisonment on December 24, 2018, alongside hefty fines of Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million.
Designated as a proclaimed offender in both cases by the IHC in December 2020, Nawaz sought medical treatment abroad, remaining in London for almost four years before his recent return to the country.
Read more:Plea Against Nawaz Set for Hearing
Upon his return, the PML-N leader filed separate applications to reinstate his appeals against convictions in both references. He argued that while away for medical reasons, the pending appeals were dismissed due to non-prosecution. These applications urged the court to revive the appeals for a substantive decision. Last month, the IHC restored these appeals.
Amid tight security, Nawaz appeared in court today alongside his legal team, which includes former law minister Azam Nazir Tarar and Amjad Pervaiz. A video shared by PML-N on social media depicted the ex-premier arriving at the IHC alongside former finance minister Ishaq Dar.
