LHC grants bail to Shehbaz, orders release

LAHORE: Lahore High Court has approved the bail plea of Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, ordering his release on Thursday, ARY News reported.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Malik Shahzad and Justice Mirza Waqas resumed the hearing of the bail petitions that were adjourned yesterday.

As the hearing resumed today, the counsel of Sharif said construction of drain in Chiniot was aimed to facilitate the locals of the area, not the mills only.

“The project was approved by the then Punjab cabinet,” he maintained.

The court asked why the design of the drain was changed? “The earlier design was missing populace of Jamaiabad,” Shehbaz’s counsel replied to the court query.

Opposing the bail plea, counsel of the NAB in his arguments maintained that,  Shahbaz Sharif, had misused his authority as Punjab chief minister to benefit factories owned by his sons.

The court observed that Shehbaz Sharif never remained Chief Executive of the mills and granted bail to him in two graft cases of Ramzan Sugar Mills and Ashiana Housing Scheme.

The court directed Shehbaz Sharif to submit two surety bonds of worth rupees one million.

Read more: Arguments completed in Shehbaz’s bail plea in LHC

LHC rejects Fawad Hasan Fawad’s bail

However, the court rejected the bail plea of Fawad Hasan Fawad in a case related to assets beyond means case, while he was granted bail in the  Ashiana Housing scam.

Detailing the assets’ details of Fawad Hasan Fawad in the LHC, yesterday, the NAB prosecutor said, he owns a Plaza in Rawalpindi worth rupees 5 billion, while also operating 14 ‘benami’ bank accounts.

“He was arrested over charges of assets beyond means,” the NAB prosecutor apprised the court.

Graft cases against Shehbaz

Currently, former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif is facing two corruption references field by the National Accountability Bureau.

In Ramzan Sugar Mills reference, he has been accused by the NAB for misusing his authority as Punjab chief minister to benefit factories owned by his sons that cost rs 200 mn to national kitty.

In Ashiana Iqbal Housing Scheme, he is also facing charges of misusing his authority to illegally issue directives for cancellation of contract with regard to the housing project in 2014, causing Rs715m loss to the exchequer, the reference reads.