Two months into his 10-year long jail sentence on charges of corruption, three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter, Maryam Nawaz, were released from prison. The release came soon after the Islamabad High Court suspended their sentences in response to their appeals. According to Justice Athar Minallah: “The prosecution has failed to show the properties belong to Nawaz Sharif. It also failed to prove how was Maryam Nawaz sentenced under the same charge sheet which convicted Nawaz Sharif.”
In July 2018 Mr Sharif was sentenced “after being found guilty of corrupt practices related to the ownership of four luxury properties in central London linked to his family. His daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, received seven years for abetting a crime and one year for not co-operating – sentences which were due to run concurrently – while son-in-law Safdar Awan was given a one-year sentence for not co-operating. The convictions also barred them from seeking public office for up to 10 years after release.”
The National Accountability Bureau, can still appeal this ruling before the Supreme Court of Pakistan.