LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Monday moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) against her arrest by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the ongoing Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
The petition, filed by her defense counsel, claimed that Maryam is being subjected to political revenge and that the anti-corruption watchdog “has not found single evidence” against her.
The petition further requested the court to release her from jail.
Earlier, an accountability court had rejected NAB’s plea seeking extension in Maryam’s physical remand and sent her to jail on judicial remand till October 9.
On August 8, a NAB team had detained the PML-N leader outside the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore for skipping appearance in the said case due to meeting with her father and ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
During the case proceedings, Maryam was unable to provide the required details of foreign investment in sugar mills, owned by the Sharif family where she was a partner or shareholder, while she also failed to satisfy the Bureau regarding the source of income for purchasing those shares.
NAB had also said that three foreigners had transferred 11000 shares worth millions of rupees on Maryam Nawaz’s name.
On July 19, an accountability court had turned down a petition of NAB claiming Maryam Nawaz had produced a bogus trust deed in Avenfield reference.
Judge Mohammad Bashir had declared anti-corruption watchdog’s appeal as “unmaintainable” and ruled that no action can be taken in this regard until the decision of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Maryam’s petition against the Avenfield properties comes.
On July 6, 2018, accountability judge Mohammad Bashir had convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz in Avenfield properties reference and sentenced them 10 and 7 years imprisonment respectively.
In the verdict, Judge Bashir had declared that “the trust deeds produced by the accused Maryam Nawaz were also found bogus… In view of the role of this accused Maryam Nawaz, she is convicted and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for seven years with [a] fine of two million pounds.”
She was arrested and shifted to Adiala jail. However, later, in September 2018, she was released from jail after IHC temporarily suspecded her sentence.
