Court extends judicial remand of Hamza Shahbaz till 31st

LAHORE: An accountability court on Friday granted exemption to PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif from personal appearance till further orders in references pending before the court against him.

The court granted exemption to Shahbaz on a plea moved by him seeking permanent exemption from personal appearance in references including Ramzan Sugar Mills and Aashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scam. The court ordered that advocate Muhammad Nawaz will appear before the court on behalf of Shahbaz Sharif and will mark the attendance.

The court also extended exemption of Nawaz Sharif from personal appearance in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case by January 31 after his counsel informed the court that his client is facing severe health issues including heart, blood pressure and platelets fluctuations and could not attend the court.

Previously, the counsel of Shahbaz had argued that his client is abroad to look after his brother and for his own medical checkups. The counsel argued that doctors have given appointments to his client of January 9 and January 15. The counsel argued that the application of his client should be allowed in light of the Lahore High Court’s permission to his brother Nawaz Sharif, to travel abroad for medical treatment.

The court also extended the judicial remand of Hamza Shahbaz by January 31 in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. Meanwhile, an accountability court directed a NAB investigation officer to appear before the court with relevant record on an application moved by a member of the Shahbaz family, seeking to unfreeze their assets. The court directed the IO to appear before the court by January 31 on an application moved by the Shahbaz family’s counsel Amjad Pervez.

The NAB Lahore had frozen all movable and immovable properties of the Sharif family in connection with a probe against them in assets beyond means and money laundering cases. As per references, the NAB has accused Shahbaz Sharif of misuse of authority in the Aashiana-e-Iqbal Housing scam and Ramzan Sugar Mills case. Hamza has been accused for his alleged role being the chief executive of the Ramzan Sugar Mills to get constructed a drain facilitating his mill out of the public money in Chiniot. Then chief minister Shahbaz Sharif allegedly approved Rs 210 million for the construction of the drain. It has been learnt that the NAB could file another reference against Hamza and Shahbaz related to the construction of a bridge to allegedly facilitate the Ramzan Sugar Mills. Earlier, the NAB had grilled Salman Shahbaz, but he went to the United Kingdom and never returned to join investigations.