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First corruption case filed against Nawaz Sharif

Court orders deposed Pak PM to find new lawyers
ISLAMABAD. Mar 1: Pakistan's military regime have lodged their first corruption case against deposed premier Nawaz Sharif, reports said today. reports AFP.
Sharif, who was overthrown In a military coup in October, is accused of not reporting his purchase of a Russian helicopter In his Income tax returns. the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said.
The Ml-8 helicopter cost 2.05 million dollars. The Na-
tlon daily sold.
Pakistan's new National Accountability Bureau has lodged a case In the accountability courts, set up after the military coup to tackle the country's rampant corruption. APP said.
Saifur Rehman, former chief of the Accountability . Bureau under Sharif, is also under In
vestigatlon. the agency said.
According to details. Mian Nawaz Sharif spent millions of dollars to import the Russian helicopter in 1993 and in the purchase he flouted all the rules and regulations of CAA (the Civil Aviation Authority)." the agency said.
The Nation said Sharif kept ihc helicopter for four years
and used It in election campaigning until It crashed In June 1997 and was put out of action.
AP adds: Sharif was ordered today to find new lawyers or take lawyers appointed by the antl-terrorlsm court, which Is hearing the hijacking case against him.
Sharif also Is charged with
terrorism, kidnapping and attempted murder. All the charges carry ell her the death penalty or life In prison.
The trial was adjourned until Monday to give Sharif time to And new lawyers or convince his previous legal team to re-
Sharif told (he court that his lawyers resigned out of frustra-
tlon. and that he had not been consulted prior to their resignation, Sharifs legal team earlier said their resignations were to protest an earlier court order barring Sharif from giving his testimony uninterrupted in an open court
The prosecution had asked the court to hear Sharifs testimony in camera saying it feared the former prime minister might compromise Pakistan's national security or reveal stale secrets. Instead the court ordered Sharif and his co-accused io give their testimony in writing.
Judge Rehrnetullah Hussein Jallri did however say Sharif could give ,1 verbal testimony, but he would reserve the right to prexent any part of it from being made public.
Sharifs lawyers said that wasn t good enough and resigned.
Today the court allowed Sharif to make a 15-minule statement in which he accused the prosecution of browbeating his defense, planting listening devices in his cell and denying him free access to his lawyers.
However, he refused an eifer by the judge to have the trial sent to another court.
Sharifs being tried along with his brother and five other close associates. Lawyers for all. but two of the defendants have resigned.
In court today Sharif said he discovered in newspapers that his lawyers resigned.
"I have not seen my lawyers for the past four days and have come to know about their withdrawal from newspapers." he said.
The prosecution was trying to browbeat the defense and its witnesses. We were humiliated and provoked by thf prosecution and the authorities. " said Sharif.
Sharif accused the authorities of denying his lawyers free access to him.
He complained that listening devices have been placed in his prison cell and in th armoured personnel carriei in which he is taken to court.
"1 am surrounded by security and intelligence people all the time. And our notes prepared for my statement in the court were stolen. All these factors compelled my lawyers to withdraw." he said.
A democratically elected prime minister has been br.nihl .is । terrorist What mi mi wr ire sending (o (he intei u.il community? he said.