ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday appeared before the Accountability Court here in connection with the Al-Azizia and Flagship corruption references being heard against him.
Wajid Zia, the star prosecution witness in the case, is also expected to appear before the court, Paksitan daily Dawn reported.
Both the references are being heard simultaneously.
Zia is being cross-examined in the Al-Azizia reference and he has yet to record his statement in the Flagship reference.
Sharif was expected to appear before the court on the last hearing, but NAB officials had told the court that he could not be produced on the day due to security concerns.
On Thursday, Accountability Judge Arshad Malik had started hearing the cases after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) shifted the references from the court of accountability judge Mohammad Bashir to his court.
On July 6, accountability court Judge Mohammad Bashir had announced the verdict in the Avenfield properties corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), handing the ousted prime minister 10 years of jail time for owning assets beyond known income and seven years to his daughter Maryam Nawaz for abetment.
Later on July 16, Sharif, through his counsel Khawaja Haris, had filed an appeal in the IHC for the transfer of Al-Azizia and Flagship references to another accountability court since the arguments in both cases were similar to the ones given in the Avenfield reference.
Days later, Judge Bashir had decided to recuse himself from hearing the two pending references.
Subsequently, the IHC, on the appeal of the Sharif family, shifted the references to the court of Arshad Malik.