The Islamabad High Court has rejected the National Accountability Bureau's plea to send the Al-Azizia reference back to the trial court. This decision was made during an appeal against Nawaz Sharif's conviction in the Al-Azizia reference. The court had previously acquitted Sharif in the Avenfield reference. Sharif's lawyer argued in reference to the Panama case and highlighted the failure of NAB to collect evidence against Sharif. The accountability court had awarded jail terms and fines to Sharif in both the Avenfield and Al-Azizia cases, as well as a disqualification from holding public office. However, his sentence in the Al-Azizia reference was suspended on medical grounds by the Lahore High Court, and he was allowed to travel to the UK for medical reasons. Upon his return from the UK, Sharif filed applications to restore his appeals against conviction in both references.
