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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s antigraft bureau has formally referred for trial the corruption case against deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family members.

The Supreme Court also initiated a hearing into plea petitions submitted by the Sharifs that challenge the verdict disqualifying him from office, and question the court’s jurisdiction over a lower court to monitor the corruption trial spearheaded by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

A source at the NAB told Arab News that “the accountability court has accepted four references today” that were previously rejected by the court’s registrar on technical grounds and incomplete documentation.

The court accepted three references against the Sharifs for hearing on Sept. 19, and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar regarding living beyond his means, set for Sept. 20, the source said. Call-up notices have been issued to the defendants for appearance.

A Joint Investigation Team ( JIT) was formed by the Supreme Court to further investigate the money-laundering and corruption revelations that led to Sharif’s ouster from public office.

Defense Attorney Khawaja Harris said his client was not given an option to appeal, thus denying him a fair trial.

Harris also objected to the Supreme Court’s nomination of a judge who had handed down the verdict against Sharif to supervise the proceedings of the accountability court.

The Supreme Court assured the defense counsel that the JIT’s investigation will be thoroughly scrutinized, and that the counsel will have the right to cross-examine members of the investigating team during the trial.