Ashiana Housing scandal: Shehbaz's transit remand extended till November 10
Ex-chief minister of Punjab said that he has not been told where he had committed corruption.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Accountability court on Tuesday has extended transit remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif till November 10 and handed him over to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe Ashiana Housing scandal.
Shehbaz Sharif, who was arrested by NAB on October 5, was presented before the court after his previous seven-day remand ended.
During the proceedings, anti-graft watchdog’s prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua requested the court to extend remand of Shehbaz Sharif till November 12.
Meanwhile, ex-chief minister of Punjab said that he has not been told where he had committed corruption.
Earlier on October 15, NAB had interrogated Shehbaz Sharif regarding CASA Developers and Paragon City scandals prior to his appearance in the court. Ex-Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) said he himself ordered investigation into corruption allegations in Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme.
Shehbaz Sharif’s arrest
NAB had arrested Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam on October 5. The former chief minister was charged with awarding illegal contracts to his favorite firm.
He was apprehended during his appearance before NAB in Saaf Pani Company scam. Sources told that three files were tabled before him. The bureau quizzed Sharif regarding a tender awarded to a private consultancy company for a survey of the Saaf Pani company.
The PML-N president had failed to satisfy the probing team of the bureau during the investigation and was ultimately arrested.
The anti-graft watchdog had claimed that the company did not conduct any kind of survey but nevertheless was provided a lucrative sum of Rs 1.5 billion.
Ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s principal secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad became an approver in the case. Fawad Hassan 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 cancelled it and later on awarded the contract to Lahore Casa Developers – a proxy group of Paragon City (Pvt) Limited, which is said to be owned by ex-Railways Minister Saad Rafique”.
