Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz was remanded into the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) till August 21, a private TV channel reported.
Arrested by NAB on Thursday, Maryam appeared before an accountability court on Friday in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Yousaf Abbas, a cousin of Maryam Nawaz who was also arrested by NAB the same day, was also produced before the court alongside the PML-N leader and was also reminded into the accountability watchdog’s custody for 12 days.
The court had earlier reserved its verdict on NAB’s request for the duo’s 15-day physical remand. Following the hearing, Maryam was driven away from the court by NAB officials.
During the hearing, NAB prosecutor Hafiz Asadullah told the court there were suspicious transactions from Maryam’s accounts. “NAB had twice asked Maryam to appear but she failed,” he said.
NAB prosecutor Waris Ali told the court they were investigating where the money came for Chaudhry Sugar Mills. “In 2008 there were 11 million shares under Maryam Nawaz’s name. We are trying to determine where the money came from,” he said.
The NAB lawyer said that Maryam did not provide satisfactory answers to their questions, adding that shares that she had purchased in 2008 were transferred to her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in 2015. The court asked when the inquiry against Maryam had been initiated to which the NAB prosecutor responded that prior to her arrest, Maryam had been summoned but she failed to appear before the bureau.
According to the NAB lawyer, Abbas’s account was used for money laundering. He added that after money came into his account, it was transferred to the Chaudhry Sugar Mills.
On the other hand, Maryam’s lawyer told the court that the Panama joint investigation team had said Chaudhry Sugar Mills as a benmai company. “Chauhdry Sugar Mills is now being associated with Maryam Nawaz and Yousaf Abbas,” he told the court.
PML-N leader Hamza Shehbaz, the son of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, was also present in the court in relation to the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. A scuffle broke out between PML-N workers, who had gathered outside the court premises and police personnel as Maryam Nawaz was escorted to the hearing. Enraged PML-N workers were seen pelting stones at police, with at least one policeman reportedly injured in the ensuing chaos.
