Accessibility links

Breaking News

Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Indicted on Corruption Charges


Muhammad Safdar, husband of Maryam Nawaz, daughter of ousted Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif, waves from a a vehicle as he arrives at an accountability court in Islamabad, Oct. 19, 2017.
Muhammad Safdar, husband of Maryam Nawaz, daughter of ousted Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif, waves from a a vehicle as he arrives at an accountability court in Islamabad, Oct. 19, 2017.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been indicted on corruption charges stemming from information taken from the so-called "Panama Papers."

The country's anti-corruption court indicted the 67-year-old Sharif during a hearing Thursday in Islamabad. His daughter Maryam and son-in-law Mohammed Safdar were also indicted. Maryam Sharif and Mohammed Safdar appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A lawyer for the elder Sharif, who is in London with his wife as she undergoes cancer treatment, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Maryam Sharif angrily dismissed the allegations as "baseless."

FILE - Nawaz Sharif addresses a crowd during his visit to a mausoleum of Pakistani poet Mohammad Iqbal on the occasion of Pakistan Independence Day in Lahore, Aug. 14, 2017.
FILE - Nawaz Sharif addresses a crowd during his visit to a mausoleum of Pakistani poet Mohammad Iqbal on the occasion of Pakistan Independence Day in Lahore, Aug. 14, 2017.

Sharif was disqualified by Pakistan's Supreme Court and removed from office in July after leaked documents last year from a Panama-based law firm revealed the family held a number of unreported overseas assets.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG