Local News
Pakistan ex-PM Nawaz Sharif given 10-year jail term
A Pakistani court has sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison on corruption charges related to four luxury London flats.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court handed down the verdict after a series of delays.
His daughter and son-in-law were also convicted.
Sharif, who is currently in London and was sentenced in absentia, says the charges are politically motivated and has vowed to return to Pakistan.
“I will go back. I will continue my struggle even in the jail,” he told reporters.
Sharif gave no date for his return. His wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, is receiving treatment in London for cancer.
Sharif’s lawyer Abdul Rashid Sheikh, speaking in Pakistan, confirmed that they would appeal against the conviction.
Judge Mohammad Bashir ordered Sharif to serve 10 years for owning assets beyond income and one year for not co-operating with the NAB. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif, also in London, received seven years for abetting a crime and one year for not co-operating – again to run concurrently – while son-in-law Safdar Awan was given a one-year sentence for not co-operating.
Sharif and Maryam also received fines of £8m ($10.6m) and £2m respectively.