LHC issues notice to NAB as Hamza seeks bail in sugar mills case

Hamza Shahbaz was arrested by the NAB Lahore on June 11 in Ramzan Sugar Mills and other cases.

LAHORE (Dunya News) – The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday adjourned hearing of the bail petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) politician and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz till January 13.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi took up the petition in which the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman retired justice Javed Iqbal and NAB Lahore Director General Shahzad Saleem have been made respondents.

The bench remarked that Hamza had expressed lack of confidence in the bench for a pre-arrest bail.

To this, Hamza’s defense counsel advocate Amjad Pervez said that his client had given him directives and they have full confidence in the bench.

Yesterday, Mr Pervez filed a petition in the court on behalf of Hamza seeking his bail in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case.

Hamza Shahbaz was arrested by the NAB Lahore on June 11 in Ramzan Sugar Mills, and money laundering and assets beyond means cases after the LHC had turned down his applications for extension in interim bail.

On Dec. 10, an accountability court had allowed the accountability watchdog to interrogate Hamza in the money laundering charges against him in the jail.

The accountability watchdog has been investigating into money laundering accusations against Hamza, and new evidence was found in the case after the arrest of Nisar Gul.

On Nov. 28, the court had extended Hamza Shahbaz’s judicial remand for another 14 days. The court had ordered the NAB prosecutor to file reference of the money laundering case.

On April 9, the court had indicted Hamza and his father Shehbaz in the same case.

However, both accused had denied the charges against them, and maintained that they had saved Rs2,300 billion, assuring that the money was not misused.

In the hearing on June 11, Salman Butt, the defense counsel for Hamza, had argued that according to the NAB ordinance, the bureau could not issue arrest warrants unless an inquiry over the matter was completed. To which, Justice Naqvi had remarked that the judgment would be done according to the constitution, and justice would be ensured.

Moreover, the prosecutor had submitted complete details of assets of Shahbaz Sharif’s family members in the court with an argument that their assets were beyond their known sources of income.

“Billions of rupees were added to the assets of Shehbaz’s family, whereas Hamza couldn’t provide details of the sources of his income,” he added.

The bench was further told by the NAB that in the year 2018, his assets were found to be worth Rs410 million, whereas he could not prove assets worth Rs380 million, and the money was laundered to Dubai and England, and 40 individuals were involved in the money laundering.