Court reserves decision on transfer of Ramzan Sugar Mill case

NAB prosecutor filing case requests reference be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Court

LAHORE:

The Lahore Accountability Court has reserved its decision regarding the transfer of the Ramzan Sugar Mill reference against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz.

This reference was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The hearing was presided over by Judge Zubair Shehzad Kayani, where the incumenbt Prime Minister's representative, Anwar Hussain, appeared before the court.

During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor requested that the reference be transferred to the Anti-Corruption Court, and stated there was no objection to moving the NAB reference there.

The court also approved Hamza Shehbaz’s request for a one-day exemption from attendance.

Previously, an accountability court in Lahore, hearing the case, confirmed that the applications for the transfer of the reference back to NAB have been filed.

The hearing, overseen by Duty Judge Zubair Shehzad Kayani, was adjourned until October 1.

According to Shehbaz and Hamza’s legal team, the reference is now "inadmissible" following a Supreme Court decision on NAB amendments. "After the recent verdict, the accountability court no longer has jurisdiction over this case," their lawyers argued, citing the restored amendments that limit the scope of NAB prosecutions.

The amendments, reinstated by the Supreme Court, restrict NAB’s powers to investigate cases involving sums below Rs500 million and curb its authority in certain tax-related and regulatory matters.

The lawyers contended that under the revised law, the case falls outside the accountability court's mandate.