Anti-corruption body tells court about investigation against Nawaz, Maryam presents no evidence to support charges
Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Photo: File
LAHORE:
An accountability court on Monday approved the termination of a National Accountability Bureau probe against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
Accountability Tribunal Judge Rana Muhammad Arif announced the decision while hearing an application filed by the NAB seeking formal approval to terminate the investigation.
In its plea, the anti-graft body informed the court that the investigation into the corruption allegations against Nawaz and Maryam had already been completed and there was no evidence to support the charges.
The office asked the court to grant final approval to close the investigation in accordance with legal requirements, which the court agreed. During the proceedings, Maryam Nawaz’s lawyer presented arguments in support of the application.
The NAB prosecutor told the court that the investigation into the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case against the two executives has already been completed.
The case involved allegations of money laundering and assets beyond known sources of income through irregular business transactions involving the sugar factory, of which Maryam Nawaz was previously reported to be a major shareholder.
Interestingly, following the accountability order, NAB appealed to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), asking it to overturn the LHC’s February 4, 2026 order.
The NAB initiated an investigation against Chaudhry Sugar Mills on November 14, 2018. During the investigation, Maryam Nawaz, who is now the Chief Minister of Punjab, was arrested on August 8, 2019 and remanded to judicial custody for 48 days.
She then applied for bail after her arrest with the LHC. On October 31, 2019, the court granted him bail against two sureties of Rs 10 million each and ordered him to deposit Rs 70 million and submit his passport to the Judicial Registrar.
NAB challenged the grant of bail in the Supreme Court, but the petition was dismissed on August 22, 2023, after it was withdrawn. Following the amendments to the NAB Act, the NAB investigator concluded that no cases of corruption or corrupt practices had been established.
Based on this conclusion, the NAB Board decided on April 3, 2024 to withdraw the proceedings under Article 31B (1) of the NAB Ordinance.
After the proceedings were concluded, Maryam filed a miscellaneous petition with the LHC seeking return of the Rs 70 million deposited as part of her bail conditions.
On February 4, 2024, the LHC ruled that the case could only be formally closed with the approval of the accountability court and ordered the Lahore accountability court to decide the matter within a month.
In its appeal, NAB argues that once the NAB chairman approved the withdrawal of the investigation, the High Court no longer had the power to interpret the law in a way that required additional judicial approval.
She maintains that when a case is withdrawn at the investigation stage, the court of accounts does not have judicial power in the matter. It clarifies that while the law does not require judicial approval to withdraw an investigation, such a requirement cannot be introduced by a court order.
The NAB further claims that the LHC issued its February 4 decision without informing the Attorney General’s Office and that the court exceeded its jurisdiction by taking cognizance of the matter on its own initiative. He asks the FCC to declare the February 4 ruling null and void.
(COURTESY OF JEHANZEB ABBASI OF ISLAMABAD)
