LAHORE: Accountability court today has rejected the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) request for an extension in the physical remand of the Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shahbaz in case of Ramzan Sugar Mills.
The Punjab Assembly opposition leader was arrested on June 11 after the Lahore High Court dismissed as withdrawn his bail petitions in the two inquiries — money laundering/assets beyond means and Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
NAB was granted physical remand of Hamza till June 26 which was then further extended.
Hamza Shehbaz along with his father Shehbaz Sharif appeared before Accountability Court in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
Judge Naeem Arshad Malik presided over the hearing.
The court rejected NAB’s request for an extension in physical remand in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case today and sent him on judicial remand and ordered that the PML-N leader will be presented again on July 20.
Hamza’s lawyer also presented his arguments in the court and said that NAB had previously made the same request for physical remand. He asked why there was a need for physical remand if a reference had been filed in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.
He said Ramzan Sugar Mill employee Javed Iqbal was cooperating with NAB and had also appeared before the accountability bureau.
During the proceedings, NAB prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua claim that the bureau had called various suspects in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case but they had not appeared before it.
Shehbaz viewed that in 2015, the Sindh government had set the price of sugarcane at Rs181 while they [the Punjab government] had set it at Rs180. He added that the Sindh government had then reduced the rate to Rs165.
“God is a witness, we all need to go into a grave one day,” he remarked, adding: “God give me a harsh punishment if I lie.”
He said his government had given the farmers a higher rate than the Sindh government so that they [the farmers] could be assisted.
Shehbaz exclaimed that he was not blaming the Sindh government and said that the Sindh High Court had set the sugarcane price at Rs175.
“I had a lot of pressure to reduce the rate, [however] I said I will tender my resignation but not snatch away rights of farmers.”
The NAB prosecutor objected to Shehbaz’s remarks, noting that the trial was not taking place today and there was no need for his comments.
