A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the petition of accountability court II Judge Mohammad Arshad Malik.
Earlier on Friday, Judge Malik had submitted a written request to the Supreme Court seeking an extension to conclude the Al-Azizia and Flagship Investment references.
As the hearing went under way, the CJP asked to be briefed on the background of the case. “Till date I have not taken interest in this case or what the issue is,” he stated.
Nawaz’s counsel Khawaja Harris briefed the chief justice and requested the top court to give the accountability court till December 15 to conclude the remaining two references.
However, the chief justice observed, “We cannot grant such a long extension.”
“We do not want to interfere in the accountability court’s trial,” Justice Nisar remarked and granted a six-week extension in the deadline.
On July 6, after four extensions in the original six-month deadline to conclude all three cases, the court had announced its verdict in the Avenfield reference.
Accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir had announced the verdict handing the ousted prime minister 10 years as jail time and seven years to his daughter Maryam Nawaz.
The trial against the Sharif family commenced on September 14, 2017. Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.
The two brothers, based abroad, have been absconding since the proceedings began last year and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court.
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