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Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in blue, at the funeral of his wife, Kulsoom Nawaz, who died earlier this month in Lahore.
Photo:
arif ali / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images
ISLAMABAD – A Pakistani court has suspended the conviction for corruption of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and ordered his release.
The Islamabad High Court, hearing a petition from Sharif's lawyers, said on Wednesday that he should be released on bail pending his appeal, according to the court order. The two judges who examined the case have a reputation for being independent of mind, said the lawyers.
In July, an anti-corruption court sentenced Sharif to 10 years in prison in a case centered on four apartments in London. Three weeks later, Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League party was defeated in an election that elevated its main opponent, Imran Khan, to the position of prime minister.
Khawaja Haris, Mr. Sharif's attorney, said that the High Court had found that corruption was not proven against Mr. Sharif, who always claimed that the London property belongs to his two sons, not to him .
Muzaffar Abbasi, a prosecutor, said the anti-corruption authorities would now consider a challenge for the outcome.
Sharif's political party said his election prospects were annihilated by a campaign against him by the judiciary, along with the military, which the military and judicial forces deny.
Write to Saeed Shah at [email protected]
