- Accountability Court seeks response from NAB and puts off hearing till October 11
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, on Tuesday sought relief in the Ramzan Sugar Mills reference, requesting the accountability court to declare it outside its jurisdiction under the amended National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law.
The legal team for the prime minister and the former Punjab chief minister filed a petition, submitting that after the recent amendments to the NAB law, the accountability court no longer has the authority to hear the reference. They requested that the court return the case to the NAB chairman for reconsideration.
The court, in response, asked NAB to submit its reply by October 11.
Additionally, the court granted Shehbaz Sharif’s request for a one-day exemption from personal appearance, with his representative Anwar Hussain attending on his behalf.
It is to be noted that on February 18, 2019, NAB filed a reference against Shehbaz Sharif, President of the PML-N, and his son Hamza Shehbaz in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. The reference named only the two as accused, alleging they illegally constructed a drain for the sugar mill, causing a loss of Rs213 million to the national treasury.
NAB’s reference has sought penalties for both Shehbaz and Hamza over the alleged misuse of public funds for personal gains.
In a related development on Tuesday, an accountability court acquitted Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and others in the Nooriabad Power Project case, following NAB’s withdrawal request. This decision follows a Supreme Court ruling last month that overturned a previous judgment, which had invalidated changes to the NAB laws.
The ruling by a larger bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, upheld the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 2000, providing significant relief to several political figures, including members of the ruling PML-N. The decision reversed a prior ruling by former Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and retired Justice Ijazul Ahsan, who had nullified the amendments.
