PM exempted from sugar mills case hearing

An accountability court on Monday allowed permanent exemption from personal appearance to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in proceedings of the Ramzan Sugar Mills.

PM Shehbaz Sharif appeared before the court along with his son, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, and submitted applications seeking exemptions from personal appearance in the scam case hearings.

The father-son duo cited their busy schedules and responsibilities of the public offices they respectively held.

During the hearing, the court granted a one-time exemption from appearance to Hamza Shehbaz.

However, Shehbaz’s counsel Amjad Pervaiz sought a permanent exemption, citing his busy schedule to fulfil his duties as the country's prime minister.

The counsel mentioned that the accountability court had already granted the premier permanent exemption from attending hearings in another case and added the latter had "never misused" it.

Pervaiz told the court that his client had regularly appeared before the court.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz told the court that he has never skipped his hearings and appeared before the judge whenever he was summoned as he deemed it his responsibility.

Read Court says ‘no evidence’ of corruption against Shehbaz, Hamza

"God has placed a huge responsibility on me. I hold meetings on important matters including [talks with] the IMF (International Monetary Fund), Gwadar, and the annual budget. I would have never submitted an application for [permanent] exemption but now I am fulfilling a national responsibility."

However, for his part, the NAB prosecutor opposed the plea pointing out that Shehbaz had not attached a few important documents with the application and contended that the relief would impede the trial proceedings as there had been no progress in the trial for the last six months.

He recalled that he had once travelled all the way from abroad in order to appear before a court in the Rs16 billion money laundering case registered against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

PM Shehbaz further testified that the drain in Chiniot was constructed at the request of a local member of the provincial assembly, for which the approval of the provincial cabinet was also sought.

He maintained that if he had harboured any intention to favour his children, “I would have done it many years ago”. He claimed the national exchequer was spared the loss of millions of rupees when he refused the export of sugar to other provinces and imposed excise taxation over ethanol production as CM Punjab.

As the premier continued spelling out decisions he took as a chief minister of Punjab, the judge interjected asking Shehbaz to stick to the case as the rest of things were outside the ambit of the law.

Meanwhile, CM Hamza Shehbaz while explaining the rationale for seeking exemption cited his engagements pertaining to the provincial budget sessions.

The court after hearing the arguments granted PM Shehbaz's request for exemption from permanent attendance and adjourned further hearing of the case till July 5.

The NAB had filed a reference against Shehbaz and his son Hamza in 2019, alleging that they "fraudulently and dishonestly" caused a Rs213 million loss to the national exchequer.

In 2019, Shehbaz was arrested by the graft watchdog in connection with the case but was later granted bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC).