Pakistan Supreme Court dismisses Nawaz Sharif's petition seeking bail extension

Pakistan's apex court on Friday, May 3 dismissed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's petition which sought an extension for a bail granted to him on medical grounds.

The three-time former Pakistani Prime Minister was sentenced to seven years in prison by an accountability court on December 24 after he was found guilty in the Al Azizia Steel Mills corruption case.

READ: Nawaz Sharif Walks Out Of Prison After 3 Months On Medical Grounds

The ailing Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader was granted bail on medical grounds by the Pakistani Supreme Court on March 26 for six weeks, according to Geo News. He was, however, not allowed to leave the country while on bail, which is set to expire on May 7.

On April 25, Nawaz had filed a review petition for a bail extension citing medical reasons again. His bail extension petition was heard by a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, who rejected the Pakistani's leader's request.

During Friday's hearing, the Chief Justice remarked that the conduct of petitioner (Nawaz) showed that there was no "imminent threat" to his life, adding that it was possible to treat the former Pakistani Prime Minister in prison as the superintendent would be "empowered" to send him to the hospital when required, according to local media.

He has been lodged in the Lahore Kot Lakhpat Jail since his conviction in December 2018. He was removed from power in 2017 by Pakistan's Supreme Court amidst hearings of corruption charges against him, which stem from the Panama Papers scandal.