Accessibility links

Breaking News

Pakistani Supreme Court Rejects Challenges To Ruling That Ousted Ex-PM Sharif


FILE: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
FILE: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has rejected petitions for a review of a decision it made on July 28 that disqualified former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office over allegations of corruption.

The five-judge panel on September 15 dismissed the petitions from Sharif's family and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

It did not specify the reasons for its decision.

The July 28 ruling employed a little-used constitutional provision to rule that Sharif was unfit to hold office because he did not declare a source of some of his income.

The ruling came after an investigation into Sharif's family wealth. Sharif maintains that he did not receive the undeclared funds.

He is barred indefinitely from being a lawmaker in Pakistan's parliament.

In addition, the Supreme Court ruling disqualified three of Sharif's children, a son-in-law, and Dar -- a member of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.

It also ordered a criminal investigation into the finances of the Sharif family and Dar.

The allegations that led to Sharif's 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.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, Geo News, and dpa

  • 16x9 Image

    RFE/RL

    RFE/RL journalists report the news in 27 languages in 23 countries where a free press is banned by the government or not fully established. We provide what many people cannot get locally: uncensored news, responsible discussion, and open debate.

XS
SM
MD
LG