Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today, August 13th, 2018 appeared before an accountability court hearing corruption cases against him and his family.

Following the hearing, the accountability court Judge Arshad Malik adjourned the hearing and summoned the investigation officer of the cases on August 15.

This is the first time that the 68-year-old Sharif appeared before the Islamabad-based court for hearing in the two graft cases - the Al-Azizia Steel Mills and the Hill Metal Establishment case since his imprisonment for a period of 10 years on July 6 over the family's ownership of four luxury flats in London.

Along with Sharif his daughter Maryam, 44 and his son-in-law Capt. (retd.) Muhammad Safdar are also serving jail terms, seven years and one year respectively in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

The three pending corruption cases against Sharif also makes his two sons – Hassan and Hussian as co-accused.

The court has already declared the two sons as absconders due to their persistent failure to appear before the court. They have been blacklisted by the authorities, barring them from travelling on their Pakistani passports.

The ownership of the four London flats by the Sharif family surfaced in the Panama Papers in April 2016, indicating that the posh properties were managed through offshore companies owned by Sharif's children.