Nawaz Sharif convicted in Al Azizia case, acquitted in Flagship reference

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Monday convicted former prime minister and sentenced to seven years in prison in Al Azizia case while the former PM has been acquitted in Flagship corruption reference.The accountability court Judge, Muhammad Arshad Malik announced the verdict reserved after completion of hearing in Al-Azizia Steel Mills and the Flagship Investment cases against the deposed PM last week.More: Al-Azizia, Flagship references against Nawaz Sharif: LIVE Updates on verdictThe court also imposed a fine of $25 million in the  Al Azizia case.The judge on Wednesday rejected application by Sharif's lawyer Khawaja Harris to provide one week time to submit more documents but allowed him to submit additional documents.Also read: Who’s a hooligan if Nawaz, Zardari upright, asks FawadNawaz held a long meeting with the PML-N president and younger brother Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday at his Ministers’ Enclave residence to discuss the party matters and post-verdict scenario. Read more: What is cooking up?Both the leaders also agreed to seek support from the Pakistan People s party (PPP) to steer out of political quagmire. They also formulated the strategy to launch a mass contact campaign in view of the verdict landing Nawaz Sharif behind the bars (as the case may be).However, former prime minister said that they will take a legal course of action whatever the accountability court decides in Flagship and Al-Azizia steel mills references. Nawaz Sharif, in July 2017, was disqualified by the Supreme Court over the Panama Papers scandal, which also led to the filing of three corruption cases. Nawaz and his sons, Hussain and Hasan, are accused in all three references whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield reference only.On July 06, an accountability court sentenced the former PM, daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (r) Safdar in Avenfield reference. Currently, they are on bail granted to them by the Islamabad High Court which pointed out serious faults with judge Muhammad Bashir’s decision of sentencing them for having assets beyond means in the London apartments case. They were convicted without even tentative determination of the price of these flats by the judge as well as the NAB.Anticipating an unforeseeable future, the PML-N supremo has formed an advisory body comprising senior leaders to run and look after the party.