Maryam says will appear before court to try justice system
LONDON: Maryam Nawaz, daughter of Nawaz Sharif, while referring to corruption references filed against them Sunday said the world knows this isn't accountability, however, added that she would appear before the court to try the justice system.
Speaking to Geo News outside the Sharif family’s Avenfield residence before leaving for Heathrow airport, Maryam said the so-called accountability process under way for the last year-and-a-half has been exposed as the world is aware now that this [corruption cases] is not for justice but for revenge.
“However, we are going back and will appear before the court and get through the wheels of justice. We respect the rule of law and the Constitution,” she said, adding that when one’s intentions are clear, he or she isn’t afraid of going anywhere.
Responding to a question, Maryam said her brothers Hussain and Hasan will present themselves before the court too but did not give a date for their appearance.
Commenting on Nawaz’s recent re-election as the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Maryam said, “it is surprising if anyone has issues with him becoming the PML-N president. God has given him a respectable position that politics revolve around him. The PML-N has a democratic right to elect as its president whoever it wants.
She added that, “God willing, the 2018 elections will be held on time and a democratic government will complete its tenure and pass on the baton to the next.”
Speaking to Geo News, Maryam’s husband, MNA Capt (retd) Safdar, said they have held legal consultations with their lawyers and everything is finalised in this regard. “We will face courts and not run away,” said the National Assembly Member from Mansehra.
The couple will take a Qatar Airways flight from London and reach Islamabad early Monday morning.
Maryam and Safdar face a corruption reference related to the Sharif family’s Avenfield properties in London.
Her brothers and father, however, face a total of three cases, including the Avenfield case, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in an accountability court.
They include the Azizia Steel Mills reference and offshore companies'.
The cases were filed after the directions of the Supreme Court in its July 28 Panama Papers case judgment.
At the last hearing on October 2, Judge Mohammad Bashir issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Safdar, Hussain and Hasan and bailable warrants for Maryam.
Nawaz has been appearing before the court since it began its proceedings. However, at present Nawaz is in London to spend time with his wife, Kulsoom, who is undergoing treatment for lymphoma.
It is unclear when the former premier will return. The court is yet to decide on his plea for exemption from appearance.
The references
NAB had in total filed three references against the Sharif family and one against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the accountability court, in light of the Supreme Court's orders in the Panama Papers case verdict of July 28.
The anti-graft body was given six weeks, from the date of the apex court's order, to file the reference in an accountability court while the accountability court was granted six months to wrap up the proceedings.
The references against the Sharif family pertain to the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, their London properties and over a dozen offshore companies.
NAB's Rawalpindi branch prepared two references regarding the Azizia Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment, and the nearly dozen companies owned by the Sharif family.
Its Lahore branch prepared a reference on the Sharif family's Avenfield apartments in London and another against Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for owning assets beyond his known sources of income.
If convicted, the accused may face up to 14 years imprisonment and lifelong disqualification from holding public office including the freezing of bank accounts and assets.
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