Sharif's son-in-law's petition to delay indictment rejected

Islamabad:  A court in Pakistan today rejected a petition by ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif s son-in-law Muhammad Safdar to delay his indictment in the Panama Papers corruption case.

An accountability court is set to indict Safdar, Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz tomorrow in cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) following the July 28 verdict by the Supreme Court in the scandal.

According to a court official, Safdar petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to pre-empt the indictment but the court rejected his plea. He said in the petition that mandatory seven-day period before indictment was not followed as he appeared before the court on October 9.

After the rejection of petition, it is highly likely that Sharif, Maryam and Safdar would be indicted tomorrow during the hearing, unless the court delays it. Earlier, Safdar was arrested by the NAB on October 9 just after his return from London but later released by the court on bail.

During the last hearing on October 9, the Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir declared Sharif’s sons — Hasan and Husain — absconders for failing to appear before the court despite warnings.