Lahore:
An anti-corruption court in Lahore approved on Thursday the placement of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz for acquittal in Ramzan Sugar Mills Drain Case filed by Nab about eight years ago.
Anti-Corruption Court Judge Sardar Muhammad Iqbal Dogar declared the verdict, which had been reserved since February 3rd. The judge acquitted Shehbaz and Hamza, giving up that punishment was unlikely in the case against them.
On July 11, 2017, NAB had initiated an investigation into accusations that Shehbaz Sharif, the then Punjab chief minister, and Hamza got a drain constructed in 2015 for the family’s Ramzan Sugar Mills in Chiniot for government spending, causing a loss to RS 213 million to the national tax.
Shehbaz was arrested by NAB on October 5, 2018. Shehbaz and Hamza were indicted for corruption fees on April 9, 2019, after which Hamza was also arrested on June 11, 2019. Both were renamed in the event of August 6, 2020, after new evidence led to a supplementary reference filed before the court.
Meanwhile, Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed the verdict and congratulated prime minister Shahbaz and Hamza for their acquittal in the case. Senior Punjab Minister Maryam Aurangzeb also paid tribute to the dismissal of Sharifs.
When talking to a private TV channel, she emphasized that no offense from Shehbaz and Hamza was proven in court. Aurangzeb paralyzed PTI and stated that the case was an “excellent example of political vendetta” by then Prime Minister Imran Khan.
