–Accountability judge grants PML-N president exemption from appearance in court till June 13
LAHORE: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif will return to Pakistan on June 11, his representative told an accountability court on Tuesday.
On the last hearing of two cases — Ashiyana Housing Scheme scandal and Ramzan Sugar Mills — Shehbaz’s lawyer had told the court that the opposition leader would return after Eidul Fitr. Judge Jawadul Hassan, however, had asked for a “final date” of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president’s return.
Shehbaz had announced a “quick visit” to London on April 9, after his name was removed from the no-fly list on the Lahore High Court’s orders. Party sources had said that he intended to return within 10-12 days.
Spokesperson of the Sharif family, Atta Tarrar, who was representing Shehbaz Sharif in the absence of his lawyer on Tuesday, gave June 11 as the date for Shehbaz’s return.
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua, however, objected to Tarrar’s statement, arguing that his power of attorney had not yet been submitted in court. “In which capacity is Tarrar saying this [in court]?” he questioned.
“Let’s wait for Shehbaz’s lawyer,” the judge said. Amjad Pervez, the counsel for Sharif, appeared before the court after a brief break and confirmed the same.
Meanwhile, the accountability watchdog asked the court to reject Sharif’s plea seeking exemption from appearing during hearings of the two cases.
The bureau submitted that all the medical tests of the opposition leader can be conducted in Pakistan. Shehbaz’s medical treatment can also be carried out in the country, NAB said.
NAB alleged that medical treatment was being used as a pretext for exemption from the hearings. It added that Shehbaz Sharif went abroad without obtaining approval from the court and that he should have sought permission from the court before leaving.
The bureau asked the court to reject the plea and issue arrest warrants against Shehbaz Sharif. The accountability court, however, rejected NAB’s plea and granted an exemption to Sharif till the next hearing on June 13.
Also on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz appeared before the court in Ramzan Sugar Mills case. Fawad Hassan Fawad, Ahad Cheema and other accused in the two cases also appeared before the court.
Separately, NAB also resubmitted an appeal — after making corrections in it — in the Supreme Court on Tuesday for the removal of Sharif’s name from the ECL.
In the Ashiyana housing scam, Shehbaz Sharif is accused of ordering the cancellation of a contract given to successful bidder Chaudhry Latif and Sons for the low-cost housing scheme, which led to the award of the contract to Lahore Casa Developers, a proxy group of Paragon City Private Limited, resulting in a loss of Rs193 million.
In the Ramzan Sugar Mills corruption case, Shehbaz and his son Hamza are accused of “fraudulently and dishonestly” causing a Rs213 million loss to the national exchequer.
