Court sends Maryam, Yousaf on 14-day judicial remand

LAHORE: Accountability Court Judge Ameer Muhammad Khan on Wednesday rejected the NAB plea for extension in physical remand of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, an accused in Chaudhry Sugar Mills alleged money laundering investigations, and sent her to the Kot Lakhpat Jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

The court also refused to grant further physical remand of Maryam’s cousin Yousaf Abbas, co-accused in the case, and sent him to the Camp Jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

NAB officials produced both the accused before the court and implored for extension in their physical remand to carry out further investigations. The NAB prosecutor informed the court that during the probe, the bureau investigators have found out an agreement for the division of the family’s assets, which revealed that 14.558 million shares of the Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) were divided between former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his brothers Shahbaz Sharif, Abbas Sharif, sister Kausar and mother Shamim Begum. The prosecutor informed that as per record of the SECP, the mill had 20.62 million shares in 2008. The investigators found a difference of 11.61 million shares. However, the Sharif family didn’t include those shares in the family assets.

Usman Iftikhar, investigation officer in the case, informed the court that in 2008, the assets of Maryam Nawaz were not appropriate to her income. In 1998, she received Rs 160 million from Siddiqa Saeed Mehmood through Telegraphic Transfer (TT) and later transferred that money to the mill. However, the relation between Maryam and Siddiqa is not clear. In 2015, the mill was shifted to Rahim Yar Khan from Gojra and Rs 1.5 billion were spent on that shifting. The bureau was yet to investigate that Rs 1.5 billion, the IO added and implored the court for extending the physical remand of the accused.

Interestingly, at that point, the judge asked the NAB IO what Maryam’s date of birth was, to which the IO started to look into files and replied that Maryam was born in 1973, but he did not know the date of her birth. On this, Maryam said she was born on October 28.

Maryam’s counsel Amjad Parvez extended his arguments, saying that the mill was set up in 1991 and the shares were transferred in 2008 while the Anti-Money Laundering Act was introduced in 2010. He argued that the Act could not be implemented on past dates. Moreover, the mill shares were bought and sold through SECP and Companies Act and the NAB doesn’t have the authority to investigate this.

It is pertinent to mention here that Amjad Parvez is also counsel of Khwaja Saad in the Paragon Housing scam and is building that case on the grounds that the Paragon case should be heard on the grounds of the Companies Act instead of the NAB Ordinance.

Amjad argued that his client was subjected to mental torture in the NAB custody. From the day one, the NAB had an agreement regarding the division of the Sharif family assets.

The court, after hearing arguments of both parties, sent both the accused to jail on judicial remand. As the judge announced the decision, the counsel of Maryam implored the court to send her to the Kot Lakhpat Jail instead of the Camp Jail as the Camp jail has no arrangements for female prisoners.

On this, the court remarked that on the basis of law, jail officials could decide where to transfer the accused. Later, Maryam was transferred to the Kot Lakhpat jail while Abbas to the Camp jail. Maryam has been given B-class.