Accountability court to hear Ashiana Housing reference today

LAHORE: An accountability court of Lahore on will hear Ashiana Housing scandal reference today (Tuesday), ARY News reported.

AC Judge Amjad Nazir Chaudhry will preside over the hearing. Former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema Cheema and other accused named in the reference will appear before the court.

On last hearing of the case, accountability court had directed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif to appear before it on January 7 (today).

Shehbaz Sharif and other accused were indicted in the case on February 18, by an accountability court in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing scandal.

The judge had framed charges against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and other accused during the hearing.

However, Shehbaz Sharif and other accused had denied the charges and termed the reference filed against him ‘false’.

Ashiana Housing scam

Former Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, former federal secretary Fawad Hasan Fawad, former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Ahad Cheema and others are already facing the charges of financial irregularities in Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme.

According to NAB, “the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company Chaudhry Latif & sons but former Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his aides awarded the Rs 14bn contract to Lahore Casa Developers – a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by former Railways Minister Saad Rafique”.

As per law, it is illegal to make any agreement above Rs150mn with a single company.

“Fawad Hasan Fawad, who was the implementation secretary to the then Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif at the time, levelled charges of wrongdoings against Chaudhry Latif & sons so that the contract to be awarded to Casa Developers,” the anti-graft body claimed.