LHC grills NAB as Hamza Shehbaz gets bail in sugar mills case

Bench comes down hard on NAB prosecutor for filing supplementary reference when a reference already exists

LAHORE: Leader of opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz Sharif has been granted bail in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case. The bail was given by a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) – comprising Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Chaudhry Abdul Aziz – on Thursday while hearing a petition filed by Hamza’s counsel.

As the proceedings commenced, the bench came down hard on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor over loopholes in the investigation into the case.

“Considering the standard of NAB’s inquiry, you people should be given the Pride of Performance Award,” Justice Naqvi said sarcastically while directly addressing the prosecution. “Why was a supplementary reference filed against the accused when an existing reference has already been filed?”

The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Amjad Pervez, argued that his client had no allegation against him in the documents that have been produced in this case. The co-accused, Shehbaz Sharif, has been granted bail in the Ramzan Sugar Mills case as the project has not been passed by him when he was the chief minister instead the approval was given by the cabinet and the Punjab Assembly, he argued.

Shehbaz, Hamza indicted in Ramzan Sugar Mills case

The court asked the NAB prosecutor whether the drain was constructed merely to benefit the Ramzan Sugar Mills. “If that is the case, then you have a case for misuse of power. You do not have any answer to the questions which are asked. Why you people are wasting the time and money of the nation,” the bench remarked. “It seems you are playing with the whole nation.”

Hamza’s counsel argued that nothing has been produced as evidence that could establish the guilt of his client.

The NAB prosecutor told the court that state funds were used to construct the drain of the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

“Where it is written that no one else will use this drain,” the justices asked.

The NAB prosecutor said, “There are a few common beneficiaries.”
“Who investigated this matter,” Justice Naqvi asked.

The prosecutor replied, “Mr Hamad was the interrogator.”
The NAB prosecutor told the court that this drain was to be constructed from Jamia Abad, but it was constructed from the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

“It means your case is of misuse of authority,” Justice Naqvi remarked.

“Our case is that Ramzan Sugar Mills benefitted,” the NAB prosecutor told the court.

“Was Shehbaz or Hamza more influential,” Justice Naqvi asked. The NAB prosecutor said Shehbaz had the authority to give the approval.
After hearing remarks from both sides, the bench granted bail to Hamza.

The court will hear Hamza’s bail plea in the money laundering case on February 11 (Tuesday).