10 Year Jail Sentence For Nawaz Sharif In Corruption Case

By
EurAsian Times Desk
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The verdict has finally come out in the Nawaz Sharif case involving corruption charges. The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif has been sentenced to 10 years of jail on the charges of corruption. After a spree of delays in the verdict, the National Accountability Bureau court has awarded jail terms to Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif and son in law Safdar Awan. 

While Nawaz Sharif has been awarded a jail sentence for 10 years, his daughter and son in law have been sentenced to jail for 7 years and 1 year respectively. This verdict has come in a case which pertains to 4 sprawling flats in London.

Concurrent Sentences for Nawaz Sharif

The National Accountability Bureau court sentenced Nawaz Sharif for 10 years of jail as he was found guilty of having assets beyond his income. He has also been given a 1-year jail term for not cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau court. He will face both of these jail terms concurrently.

Even Maryam Nawaz has been awarded concurrent sentences. She will be jailed for 7 years for the crime and 1 year of not cooperating while son in law of Nawaz Sharif has been sentenced for not extending cooperation. This comes as a big jolt for the PML (Pakistan Muslim League) right ahead of the July 25 elections. The case is known as the Avenfield Reference.

How the Panama Papers led to this verdict

In 2015 the Panama Papers leak revealed that Nawaz Sharif’s family has links with several offshore companies. These offshore companies were used to launder money and buy foreign assets including the luxury properties in London.
Given the huge cult of followers of the family, an unrest is expected in Pakistan. The Judicial complex in Islamabad has been seized and a ban on public meetings has been imposed. Nawaz Sharif has however called the verdict as being politically motivated.

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