ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a petition filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif seeking the merger of all the references filed against him into one.

Sharif had approached the high court, challenging the accountability court’s Nov 8 verdict that rejected his request to merge the references against him into one to conduct a joint trial.

The bench comprising Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Naqvi had earlier reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the Sharif’s lawyer and the prosecutor of National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB).

On Nov 8, the accountability court’s Judge Muhammad Bashir rejected the Sharif’s application for joint trial and formally framed charges against him in each of the three references.

The three references related to the Sharif family’s London flats, Flagship Investment Ltd and Al Azizia & Hill Metal Establishment.

The former prime minister rejected all corruption charges while pleading not guilty and opted to contest them.

Maryam and her husband Captain (retd) Safdar have been named in a single corruption reference pertaining to the Sharif family’s London properties. Whereas, Sharif and his two sons – Hassan and Hussain – have been nominated in three references related to the London flats, Al-Aziza Steel Mills and Hill Metals Establishment.

NAB has already initiated the process of declaring Hussain and Hassan proclaimed offenders.

On Oct 9, the accountability court ordered NAB to initiate the process of declaring the former premier’s sons proclaimed offenders over their perpetual absence from the trial proceedings in three graft references.