ISLAMABAD: In less than a month after replacing the lead prosecutor, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has appointed another special prosecutor to counter the appeal filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif against her conviction in the Avenfield apartments reference.
The newly appointed special prosecutor, Imtiaz Siddiqui, is a senior lawyer based in Lahore and has vast experience in handling corporate, banking and tax-related matters.
Sources said Advocate Siddiqui would appear before a two-member Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench, comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, on Monday (today) and would lead the prosecution.
He has been appointed in less than a month after NAB had brought a private lawyer, Mohammad Azhar Siddique, as its lead prosecutor for Ms Sharif’s case.
Mr Siddique had put a single appearance before the IHC bench last month and sought a month-long adjournment to prepare arguments. The hearing was then adjourned until March 21 (today).
He had replaced Barrister Usman Cheema, also a private lawyer who had been appointed by NAB as its special prosecutor.
Prosecutor Cheema skipped a couple of hearings and then sought another adjournment for being Covid-19 positive. However, after recovery he recused himself from the case.
Earlier in September, NAB started pursuing the appeal vigorously and even filed an application seeking day-to-day hearings. But the bureau started seeking frequent adjournments after the IHC bench raised questions on the admissibility of the evidence produced before the trial court against Ms Sharif.
