Interim Punjab govt suspends Nawaz’s sentence in Al-Aziza case | The Express Tribune

The caretaker Punjab government suspended on Tuesday the sentence handed to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Aziza graft reference.

The thrice ousted former premier had appealed to the provincial government for the suspension of his sentence under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Section 401 of the CrPC pertains to commutations, suspensions and remissions of sentences.

The interim cabinet accepted the request after hearing arguments presented by Nawaz’s lawyers Azam Nazir Tarrar and Amjad Pervez via video link, reported Express News.

Read A look at Nawaz’s nine-point agenda

The Punjab chief secretary was present during the cabinet meeting.

Nawaz was convicted in the Al-Aziza Steel Mills graft reference on December 24, 2018. He was handed a seven-year prison term and fined Rs1.5 billion and $25 million.

He had left for the United Kingdom in 2019 on medical grounds and was residing in London in self-exile for the past four years before returning on October 21 this year. The ousted premier was also convicted in the Avenfield reference in 2018.

A day earlier, Nawaz had approached the Islamabad High Court seeking restoration of his appeals against his conviction in the Avenfield and Al-Aziza references.

Separately, the PML-N chief secured bail earlier today till November 20 from an accountability court in Islamabad in the Toshakhana case against him against a surety bond of Rs1 million.