Ousted Pakistan PM Sharif returns home to face corruption charges
Pakistan’s ousted prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, returned home yesterday to face trial in an anti-corruption case he calls political revenge, but which opposition leaders describe as accountability for the rich and powerful.
Mr Sharif, 67, has travelled from London where his wife is undergoing treatment for cancer. He is to appear in court today to answer allegations about London properties his family owns – charges that could mean prison.
Allies of Mr Sharif, who has served as prime minister twice and was toppled in a military coup in 1999, have called the proceedings a vendetta and hinted at army intervention.
He denounced the process on Wednesday.
“This case in the national accountability bureau is highly bogus and fake,” he said, comparing the process to charges laid against him after Gen Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999.
“There is no kickback or misappropriation of the national exchequer.”
The supreme court disqualified Mr Sharif from office in July over undisclosed sources of US$10,000 (Dh36,700) a year, a salary he denies receiving.
The high court also ordered the bureau to investigate and conduct a trial into the Sharif family’s wider finances, including the London properties.
He still has control of the ruling Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz party, which elected ally Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as prime minister after Mr Sharif was disqualified.
Also facing trial before the bureau court is his daughter Maryam and her husband, Muhammad Safdar. They have all pleaded not guilty.
The allegations stem from the Panama Papers leaks last year that appeared to show Maryam and her two brothers owned holding companies registered in the British Virgin Islands and used them to buy upmarket property in London.
A supreme court- appointed panel deemed the family’s wealth did not match its income, and accused Maryam and her brothers of signing forged documents to obscure ownership of companies.
The supreme court has ordered the investigation and trial to be concluded within six months, which may mean a verdict before elections next year.