Pakistan's Supreme Court on September 13 held its first hearing in a review of a decision that removed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office over allegations of corruption.
Sharif has challenged the Supreme Court’s July 28 decision, which also barred him indefinitely from being a lawmaker in Pakistan's parliament.
Sharif's lawyer, Khawaja Harris, told reporters after the September 13 hearing before the five-judge bench that Sharif “was not given a fair trial."
But Judge Asif Saeed Khosa, the head of the panel, said on September 13 that although the reasons for disqualifying Sharif as prime minister may have differed in the case, the decision was unanimous.
As part of the July ruling, judges ordered authorities to file criminal charges against Sharif, his two sons, a daughter, a son-in-law, and a member of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
The allegations that led to his disqualification are linked to one of Sharif's two terms in office during the 1990s.
Sharif's opponents accused him of laundering money from Pakistan and hiding stolen funds in offshore accounts. The money was allegedly used later to buy properties in London.
Sharif stepped down immediately after the July 28 ruling but he said Pakistan’s people have not accepted the decision.
