Shehbaz to be produced before accountability court shortly
Tight security arrangements have been made for Shehbaz's appearance before the Accountability Court.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president and opposition leaders in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, will be produced before Accountability Court in Lahore shortly for obtaining his physical remand.
Tight security arrangements have been made in the city for the former CM Punjab Shahbaz Sharif’s appearance before the Accountability Court today.
All routes to the Accountability Court have been sealed. Police sources said that four SPs, 10 DSPs and 20 SHOs will remain on duty during Shahbaz Sharif’s appearance before the Accountability Court. At least 600 Anti Riot Force personnel will also be deployed to meet any untoward incident.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam on Friday. The former chief minister is accused of awarding illegal contracts to his favorite firm.
Shahbaz was arrested after appearing for a routine hearing of Saaf Pani Company scam at the NAB’s Lahore office. Sources told that three files were tabled before him.
The news regarding Shahbaz Sharif’s arrest was confirmed by DG NAB and Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chauhan. PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb also confirmed the party president’s arrest.
The PML-N president failed to satisfy the probing team of the bureau during the investigation and was ultimately arrested.
The Bureau quizzed Sharif regarding a tender awarded to a private consultancy company for a survey of the Saaf Pani company.
The anti-graft watchdog has claimed that the company did not conduct any kind of survey but nevertheless provided a lucrative sum of Rs 1.5 billion.
Sources said that ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s prinicipal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad has become approver.
Fawad Hasan Fawad , in his statement before NAB had claimed that he had awarded a contract to a “favourite firm” in the Rs14 billion Ashiana Housing project at the behest of Shahbaz Sharif.
The anti-graft agency said that the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons but Sharif awarded the contract to Lahore Casa Developers – a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by Railways Minister Saad Rafique”.
Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday while revealing the reasons behind arrest of PML-N president and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif, said that it has concrete evidence against the former Punjab CM.
In a statement issued by the anti-graft watchdog on Friday, he said that the Bureau had been conducting investigation of Punjab Land Development Company (PLDC) and Casa Lahore Casa Developers against Shahbaz Sharif and his arrest had been made after investigation.
The investigation revealed sufficient evidence to prove involvement of ex-Punjab CM in corruption cases.
Giving reasons of the opposition leader’s arrest, the anti-graft body said that Sharif misused his authority as the chief minister of the province and acted in connivance of the then secretary to CM Punjab Fawad Hassan Fawad and others.
The anti-graft agency said that the contract for the housing scheme was won by a construction company titled Chaudhry Latif and Sons but Sharif awarded the contract to Lahore Casa Developers – a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by Railways Minister Saad Rafique.
"The ex-Punjab CM in a meeting dated 21 10 2014 unlawfully directed PLDC to entrust the project of Ashiana lqbal Punjab to LDA. This decision of accused was illegal and mala fide as PLDC was the company which was established for undertaking such housing projects," the statement added.
The Saaf Pani Company was established by the PML-N president during previous Punjab government to conceive, plan, design, execute and manage projects for the provision of safe drinking water in terms of both access and quality, to communities living in rural areas of the province.
Shahbaz s son-in-law Ali Imran Yousuf is also facing corruption inquiries in the same case. He has fled to the UK and the NAB has written to the interior ministry to bring him back from abroad through Interpol.
The opposition leader’s son Hamza had also been probed by the NAB for presiding over the company s board of directors meetings many times to issue directions for award of contracts to favourite firms.
