An accountability court in Lahore indicted former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference on Thursday.
Both the accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
At the start of the hearing, the opposition leader in the National Assembly, through his counsel, requested the court that he be excused from the hearing as he needed to be in Islamabad for the joint session of the Parliament to be held today. However, the court told Shehbaz that he should stay as he would be indicted.
Later, Shehbaz, during the hearing, also told the court that he may be a “sinner” but he never left any stone unturned in serving the people, adding that he had done so for 10 years.
“Prosecution may say whatever it wants but they know in their hearts what the truth is,” said the former chief minister. He added that he never but never took a travel allowance and neither did he take any petrol for his car whilst performing duties.
"I have launched projects worth trillions of rupees for the development and welfare of the people and have brought in trillions of rupees investment for the economic stability of our country," he added.
The former chief minister, while further defending the spending he did in his tenure, said that that he saved Rs100 billion in the Orange Line project and told the court that he could give many more examples.
The court after indicting the accused, asked the lawyers of the defendants to submit their response in the next hearing. The hearing of the case was adjourned till August 27.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in February last year had filed a reference against Shehbaz and his son, alleging that the former chief minister of Punjab had misused his authority by using public funds for the construction of a bridge to facilitate the Ramzan mills, owned by his sons.