Sharifs challenge freezing Al-Arabia Sugar Mills assets by NAB in LHC

LAHORE: The Sharif family has challenged freezing of Al-Arabia Sugar Mills assets by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore in the Lahore High Court (LHC), ARY News reported on Monday.

The NAB Lahore had frozen the Al-Arabia Sugar Mills in the assets beyond means case in November.

The petition filed by Sharifs said that the inquiry against Shehbaz Sharif, Salman Shehbaz and others was in pending. The chairman NAB have been delegated semi-judicial powers, while the chairman’s powers were being used by the director general NAB Lahore, which is against the law, the petitioner argued.

The petitioner has pleaded to the Lahore high court (LHC) to halt the accountability bureau from interference in matters of the company.

NAB Lahore Director General Shahzad Saleem had asked the authorities concerned, including the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), to implement the orders with immediate effect.

It is to be mentioned here that the Al Arabia Sugar Mills owned by Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz and his brother Salman Shahbaz was sealed in November by the Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue for non-payment to sugarcane growers and around 0.4 million sugar bags were seized during a raid at the mills in Sargodha.