Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel on Wednesday filed an application before the accountability court seeking his exemption from personal appearance in Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case.
In his plea, Shehbaz Sharif said that he was out of the country to look after his ailing brother Nawaz Sharif who was undergoing treatment in London and unable to appear before the court.
He appealed the court to grant him exemption from personal appearance and said that his counsel Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry will appear before the court on his behalf.
Earlier on October 30, an accountability court in Lahore had directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file a complete reference against the former chief minister of Punjab and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz President Shehbaz Sharif in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
The accountability court’s judge Amjad Nazeer Chaudhry had resumed the hearing of the case where the Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel had presented a medical certificate of his client. The lawyer had said that Shehbaz Sharif was not able to attend the hearing due to backache.
After the submission of the medical certificate, the court had accepted the plea for his exemption from personal appearance in the hearing.
Meanwhile, former finance minister Miftah Ismail on Wednesday filed bail petition in Islamabad High Court in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case.
Ismail, an accused in the LNG accountability case, has filed the bail petition after the high court granted bail to former managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Sheikh Imranul Haq on Tuesday, a co-accused in the same case.
Miftah Ismail has pleaded for his release on bail until decision of the case. Ismail in his petition made the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Secretary of Law as party.
The Islamabad high court on Tuesday granted bail petition submitted by Sheikh Imranul Haq, in LNG case.
The lawyer representing Imranul Haq informed the court that his client is under the custody of the NAB since the last four months while the anti-corruption watchdog has not submitted its written reply at yet.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah, asked the prosecution to satisfy the court whether the authority was misused or not.
To this, the NAB investigation officer replied that accused Sheikh Imranul Haq, is the owner of four different companies while the contract for LNG terminal was expected to be awarded to a small-scale company.
Justice Minallah remarked that the authorities have failed to prove the involvement of the accused and misused the authority in the case and granted bail to Sheikh Imranul Haq.
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq and other facing charges of corruption and awarding a LNG import contract at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer.
NAB sources said that Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded a LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws.
