LHC grants bail to Fawad Hassan Fawad in assets case

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday granted bail to former principal secretary to Prime Minister, Fawad Hassan Fawad in assets case, ARY News reported.

The court ordered Fawad to submit Rs. 10 million surety bond in court for his bail.

Fawad Hassan Fawad was principal secretary of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

Fawad’s counsel Amjad Pervaiz in his arguments before a two-member bench of the high court headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, said that his client was arrested without any justification in assets beyond means reference.

He said the NAB has failed to present any evidence in support of its charges against his client.

The counsel argued that the NAB had earlier claimed that Fawad Hassan Fawad is owner of a plaza worth five billion rupees, “now it is claiming that the accused person’s family owns assets worth Rs. 1.08 billion”.

“The bureau is now alleging that the property in the name of his wife and brother are benami assets”, counsel said.

In his bail petition to the court Fawad had said, “I have no personal home except the government residence.” “I am imprisoned in jail for last one-and-half year without any crime,” he said.

“My health has deteriorated and medical treatment is not possible in jail,” he pleaded and sought the court order for his release on bail from the assets case.

Earlier, the former principal secretary to Prime Minister was granted bail by the Lahore High Court on February 15 last year along with former chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme case.